East of Eden
by TheOriginalSuccubus
Summary: After leaving Forks behind, Bella hopes that her new life in Mystic Falls will be free of the supernatural and drama. Her plans at a normal life is shattered when the ghost of Katherine Petrova appears. An unlikely friendship forms between a broken human girl and a selfish ghost. Will their friendship survive as their own lives are turned upside down?
1. Sacrifice

**Summary:** Bella Swan leaves Forks in the rearview mirror. Her new life at Mystic Falls is not all it was cracked out to be. All she wanted was a normal last year but her wish is shattered on the floor when she is toe to toe with a ghost that is none other than Katherine Petrova.

 **Alternative Universe/ Alternative timeline**

 **Crossover:** Twilight and Vampire Diaries

 **Rated:** M

 **Pairing(s):** I am open for suggestions and will consider doing a multi-mate fic.

 **Warning:** Sexual content and language

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire diaries or Twilight.

 **Third POV**

 **(Three weeks prior)**

Bella Swan looked out her bedroom's window for one last time. The moment was bittersweet. She would deeply miss her friends but this place held the memories of _him_. Bella could now see so clearly and felt angry why she couldn't see the truth right in front of her. Edward and his family had manipulated her and they used her like their own personal doll. She was now free of from their control but when the incident had first occurred she thought the world was ending. The day she had tried following Edward into the woods, her heart had broken into a million pieces. She had loved Edward. She felt so special and important when she was with him. Her self-esteem was already low because in her old school no one paid attention to her. The only reason she was even noticed at school was because she was the "new toy" as Jessica had said. That's all she had been, a toy.

Victoria was out there somewhere waiting for her chance to strike. The pack had said they would protect her from Victoria's wrath but there was always a possibility Victoria could slip through the pack's fingers and come after her. Bella couldn't live looking over her shoulder forever. She also felt enormous guilt for putting everyone in danger. What if Victoria attacked Charlie or one of the pack members? She couldn't live with herself if that happened because she was the reason they got hurt. That is what upset Bella the most. The Cullen family had introduced her into the supernatural world and left her to fend for herself when she was only a human. It was plain selfish on their part and a huge oversight. Had they not expected for Victoria not to get revenge? They couldn't have honestly believed that she would have gone after them. Victoria knew it would have been a suicide mission which is why she bided her time. Besides she wanted an eye for an eye. She wanted to kill her because she was Edward's "mate" even though it was proven by him leaving her that she indeed was not his mate.

She didn't want to leave her friends. She did not want to be selfish and keep them in constant danger because no matter which way she looked at the situation, she was the reason they were in danger. Sometimes she wondered if Victoria would leave them alone if she turned herself in to her. She didn't want anyone to be hurt by the deranged vampire.

She grabbed her last suitcase before bringing it to the moving truck. Charlie was talking with Billy. Bella knew it would be hard on her dad to leave his best friend but they both needed a change. She needed to forget about Edward and his family. Her dad needed to let go of the memories of Renee. Charlie had gotten a good job offer in Mystic Falls. Maybe this was fate's way of saying it's okay to move on.

Her friends crowded the driveway. Jake was the first to hug her. Bella felt nothing but love from her best friend. Angela Weber and Eric Yorkie let each other's hand go before smothering her into a hug immediately after Jake let go. When they let go, Bella said goodbye to Leah and Seth. Leah and Seth were the only ones in the tribe besides Jake that could come here. Sam could spare those three but the rest of the tribe was busy with getting ready for a tribal meeting and patrolling.

"The rest of the pack wish they were here." Seth informed her. Leah nodded her head in agreement.

"Sam just knew those two would whine the most about seeing Bella." Jake smirked, pointing at Leah and Seth. His smile faded. "If there's anything werewolf related…"

"Magic related…" Angela drawled.

"Or any funny business going on in that town. You know who to call right?" Jake finished. Bella nodded.

"Yes, ghostbusters." Bella then looked at Eric. "It seems we are the only humans anymore."

"It would seem so." He wrapped his arm around Angela or as they call her "the neighborhood witch".

When she was with Edward she had wondered if there were other beings but he always avoided the topic. After Sam had rescued her, Bella knew something was off. All she could remember was a wolf looking at her not a human. She, at the time, blamed hypothermia for the "hallucination". Her curiosity had not been sated and she sought the answer out herself when she could no longer convince herself that it had been a hallucination. She had remembered back to La Push when she had gotten Jake to talk about the cold ones. He had unintentionally told her werewolves were real as well. She put all the pieces together and did what any sane person would do. She ran right up to Jake and told him she knew about werewolves. For the record, Jake hadn't even changed yet but he had the signs pointing to him that he was close to transforming. This forced Billy to tell the truth to both of them. Sam hated that a human knew but Bella did rub it in his face that she had found out about their secret pretty easy. Bella had made herself a part of the pack and eventually even Sam had a soft spot for the know-it-all. Besides, Sam couldn't handle Paul and Jake the way Bella could. Embry would even call Bella the werewolf whisperer.

When she found out about Angela it was by pure coincidence. She had seen Angela reading books about the Salem Witch Trial and witches in general. Bella had observed Angela distancing herself from everyone but Eric. Bella had barely talked to Angela due to the craziness in her own life but it didn't mean she wasn't watching. The incident that had given Angela away as a witch was when Lauren tried flirting with Eric while the school was doing a carwash for a fundraiser. Angela had set the water on fire. Bella had seen Angela's eyes turn dark and her palm was pointed at the water. A fire had suddenly appeared. Bella had dragged Angela away from the scene and talked to the girl behind the school. Angela had admitted to being witch after Bella had asked if she was. The only other person that knew beside Bella was Eric.

Bella felt as though she had some orb that just attracted trouble. The supernatural kind. Her friends constantly teased her about that and that she could not walk on a flat surface without falling. She hoped that at least her orb that attracted trouble would disappear once she left the town. She did not have hope that she would be able to not trip every twenty minutes.

"I'll miss you guys."

"Kind of goes without saying, right?" Bella patted Seth's cheek.

"You sound too much like Embry."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." She gave Seth a look. He chuckled. "I hope your year goes well."

"It should. I expect the rest of my senior year to be the most human and mundane of all my high school career."

"Time to go, Bells." Charlie walked over. Bella bite her lip nervously. Was she really ready for this next step of her life? Bella shook the thought away. No, she couldn't back down now. There was too much at risk. She was ushered into Charlie's car. She looked through the window and smiled.

"BELLA! BELLA! BELLA!" They chanted. She laughed along with her father. She could still hear the echo of her friends even as the car passed the city limits.

 **-X-**

 **(Present)**

Her death was quick. It was how Katherine always imagined she would go. Quick and painless. That was all she had felt throughout her life, pain. Klaus, that bastard, was thankfully not the one to shove that stake through her heart. Elena Gilbert, her doppelganger, had been the one to end Katherine's life. It was a surprise but it shouldn't have been. Elena was slowly becoming corrupt. Many of her friends could not see it but then again they would refuse to believe their darling Elena was becoming another Katherine. Katherine knew there was no hope for any doppelgangers. They were all the same. The ones before her and the one after her. Elena had proved that.

Katherine wasn't as cruel as people led her to believe. She did do things that were horrific. Evil. Everyone did. Katherine did what she had to do to live. She was a survivor until the very end. Besides, the supernatural world was gruesome. No one could show any weakness or they were culled out.

The darkness devoured her and she thought, _this is death_. Katherine soon felt warmth surround her body. She felt so light. Did this mean she was going to heaven? _Impossible_ , she thought. She didn't deserve it and she knew that. Her eyes snapped open. Katherine was in a forest. Where was she? This wasn't heaven and sure wasn't hell either. Did she somehow live? She looked down at her feet and saw she was on top of a grave, _her grave_.

"If I'm dead, why am I here? How am I here?" Katherine then heard footsteps. She saw Bonnie walking along side Elena Gilbert and Caroline Forbes. She felt her anger rise. "You—!" She went to smack the girl but instead her hand went right though her. Katherine gasped and looked at her hand. Did this mean what she thought it meant? She couldn't be a ghost yet here she was standing beside her grave. How did this happen?

"So she's finally dead." Caroline spoke. "I almost didn't believe you when you told me."

"Good riddance." Bonnie spat.

Katherine gasped when the scenery changed before her eyes. She was suddenly in a bedroom that she didn't recognize. Where was she now? She then sees the door open and in walked a girl. A girl she had never seen in her life. The girl was only wearing a towel and was holding it securely around her small body. The doe eyed girl came to a halt and her eyes widened.

"What are you doing here, Elena?"

 **-X-**

Bella found Mystic Falls terrible. The only positive thing that has happened so far was that Charlie had bought her pearly white Ford Focus. She had been so happy to receive it the night they had arrived to the new house which was a lot bigger than the one in Forks. It went downhill from there… All her hopes of the future squashed as soon as she stepped foot into Mystic Falls high school. It was like she had stepped into a stereotypical high school movie. When she had first arrived at the school it felt the exact same as the first day of school at forks. People saw her as the new toy. The excitement of a new student wore off after the first few days. Thank God. She let herself become invisible to the school.

She was also forced to talk to Elena Gilbert because she was her next door neighbor so escaping the girl was easier said than done. Elena still tried talking to Bella even though Bella was actively avoided and rejecting her offer for friendship. When Elena had asked if Bella was busy, she usually made an excuse about homework. Thankfully, Elena had given up about a week ago but she knew Elena was not happy about Bella's rejection of her friendship. Bella couldn't have been happier though. She loathed the girl but it wasn't due to her cheeriness or any reasons Elena thought of. Bella could sum up Elena Gilbert after being around the girl for five minutes. She was a whiny brat and felt as though everyone should worship her at the altar. Bella knew that Elena's behavior could be partially blamed on the people around her that enable such behavior. Elena still tried talking to Bella. She usually made an excuse about homework. Thankfully, Elena had given up. Bella couldn't have been happier. She didn't want to be involved with the drama and had a sneaking suspicion being Elena's friend would bring nothing but drama. All Bella wanted was to be left alone in peace but it seemed as though fate had other plans.

She had just finished her shower and had forgotten to take her clothes into the bathroom with her. She wrapped the towel securely around her body before taking off to her room. She already had her night planned out. She was going to watch a movie on her computer and then scout out the public library. Her father had gotten her a library card already but she had yet to see the library for herself. She opened the door and sauntered in. Bella stopped in her tracks when she saw Elena Gilbert in the middle of her room. Bella was jarred by this. Why the hell was Elena in her room and why did she look so different? She was used to Elena's preppy aura but the girl before was much more sinister.

"What are you doing here, Elena?" The brunette looked as shocked as she felt.

"You can see me?"

"Why wouldn't I be able to see you?" Bella inched slowly to her closet. She had her bat in there and felt it was a good time to use it. She didn't know what Elena was capable of.

"Wait," The girl was in front of Bella in a flash. "I'm not Elena. I may look like her—"

"A lot like her." Bella pretended to follow along with the maniac. She kept inching towards her closet hoping she had enough time to grab it.

"I am not her. I'm her doppelganger."

"Aren't doppelgangers a bad omen or something?" Before she could open the closet, the girl grabbed her or more like went _through_ her. Bella let out a scream.

"Shh!" The girl hushed her.

"You're a ghost!" Bella couldn't believe it. She was staring right at a ghost.

"I noticed." The girl rolled her eyes.

"Who are you?" Bella asked. Was this really a doppelganger of Elena? She was sure Elena was still alive. If this was a doppelganger, she was in a much bigger problem. She was warned by Angela that doppelgangers were a bad omen. Angela had also said ghosts usually appeared because of their need of revenge so Bella was doubly screwed.

"I told you. I am the doppelganger of Elena."

"I noticed." Bella laughed bitterly. What had she done to deserve this? She promised herself that this year was going to be a normal year! She had been through enough drama to last her until her next life. "I was asking what your name was. You do have a name don't you?" Katherine narrowed her eyes at the human girl. She was displeased at how the girl talked to her. It made Katherine wonder who this girl thought she was.

"I go by many names but you can call me Katherine." She replied. "What is yours?"

"My name is Isabella but everyone calls me Bella." Bella then asked, "So Katherine, how did you become a ghost?"

"It's a long story."

"How about this, my story for yours?" The brunette crossed her arms. Katherine didn't have much of a choice. This was the only person that could see her so far.

"Deal."

 **-X-**

Bella wanted to bang her head against her desk. Multiple times. Maybe then she would wake up from this hellish nightmare. It hasn't even been a full month yet but she's already met a ghost. A doppelganger ghost to top it off. Mystic Falls was apparently a hotspot for supernatural beings. She didn't mind that supernatural beings were in the same town as her but the supernatural that lurk here aren't the best company to be around. This didn't help Bella's anxiety.

The ghost that was now looking through Bella's closet was a prime example of the worst company to keep. Katherine had been a selfish being in her life and Bella even called her out on it, but there wasn't much to do about the situation at hand. Bella was a human girl that attracted trouble while Katherine was an ex- psycho— _ex-vampire_ now turned ghost. Bella didn't have much choice in letting Katherine stay. She was a ghost and Bella couldn't exactly send her away. Bella did see the good side of this crappy situation she was put in. Katherine was ghost that could warn her if something's up seeing as she was kind of omnipotent.

Katherine had shed light on who was supernatural and who Bella should avoid at all costs. She also gave her a rundown on what has happened so far. Elena Gilbert was a doppelganger that was meant to be sacrificed in a ritual that would turn Klaus into a hybrid. The ritual had happened and Klaus, who was also an original, became a hybrid. Elena did not die though which later caused even bigger problems.

Bella found the dynamic of Elena's group just plain weird. Caroline (a vampire turned by Katherine) and Elena had both dated Matt. Tyler (who was a hybrid) was Matt's best friend but now was dating Caroline. Stefan (vampire also turned by Katherine) and Elena had dated but now she had feelings for his brother Damon (who was _also_ turned by Katherine). Bonnie (a witch) was currently dating Elena's brother (actually her cousin) Jeremy. She didn't see the group's future turning out very well due to all the implications.

Bella was not prepared to be introduced to new supernatural species. Well, not really new but new to her. Apparently there were two species of vampires and werewolves. The Cold Ones and werewolves that Bella knew were created by witches to fight the other vampires and werewolves off. It didn't work out that way in the end. The Cold Ones were too bloodthirsty and did not look remotely human. The werewolves that Bella knew at the reservation were considered shapeshifters because they do not need a full moon to shift. She would tell the pack about this but she knew how they would react. They would drag her back home. It did make her wonder if Angela or the pack knew this o they too were oblivious to the other supernatural beings.

Bella still couldn't wrap her head around one tiny fact. She glanced at the ghost that was complaining about her choice in clothes. Why was Katherine sent here? Katherine and Bella had no possible connections. They had never met each other before. It would have made more sense if she was sent to haunt Elena. Also why did Bonnie not sense Katherine at all? It made Bella uneasy as to what it could mean but she had no leads.

"You should really change your wardrobe, it's atrocious."

"They are comfortable." Katherine walks away from the closet and scans her. Bella shrank under her gaze. Why Katherine hadn't noticed it before?

"I didn't notice until now but we do look alike."

"Not really, no." The only resemblance Bella could see was their hair, eyes, and pale complexion. That's where the similarities ended or at least in Bella's eyes.

"Hmm, maybe you could be distantly related to me." Katherine didn't really think they were related but she didn't totally dismiss the thought.

"Oh god, I hope not. It would also mean I am related to Elena." Bella shivered at the thought.

"I'm not saying it's true but I am making an observation." Katherine then suggested, "Maybe that's why she wants to be your friend. I mean she is pretty vain." Bella could agree with the last part.

"If we are following that logic, wouldn't she have wanted to be your friend? You are the exact copy of her, then again, you did try to kill her and take Stefan." Bella shrugged. "I still can't believe she killed you."

"Me either, I didn't think she had the balls."

"It's not _that_. I just don't imagine her as a murder. She seemed more the homewrecker type then again doppelgangers have a trend of being homewreckers." Bella gave Katherine a pointed look.

"Will you get over that?" Katherine hadn't gone into details about her relationship with the Salvatore brothers or the Mikaelson brothers mostly due to Bella glaring at her throughout those stories. Bella had sympathized with Katherine at first but only at the beginning. The rest of the story Bella either gave Katherine the death glare or told her to skip altogether.

"No." _At least she's being honest_ , Katherine thought. "I do, however, know that the world is rarely black and white. It's mostly grey areas especially when it comes to the supernatural. I am not saying what you did is right because it isn't and that's just my opinion. I will say this though, the good guys here aren't as good as they seem from what you've said. They seem willing to endanger everyone else if it means they save Elena."

"Doesn't it scare you?"

"What?"

"Klaus and everything else. The supernatural beings that have infested this town. That doesn't just scare you a little?" Katherine was confused as to why Bella hadn't already started packing. There was basically a supernatural war going outside and Bella didn't seem to care. The only thing that seemed to bug the girl was Katherine herself.

"Of course it does, but I have almost died too many times in this life. If I die, then I die. My future shouldn't be determined by my inability to control my fear. A little fear keeps you cautious but too much fear makes you act upon those fears. It controls you." Bella argued. "I won't let a few lunatics stop me from having a life, graduating, and doing who knows what after that. Besides there are worst things than death."

"What could be worse than dying?"

"Being stuck with you for one." Bella was more so stuck with Katherine than Katherine was stuck with her. Katherine could leave when she pleased while Bella couldn't exactly send Katherine away. The only reason Katherine was kind of stuck with her was because Bella was the only one that could see her. Katherine knew she'd be all alone without Bella. She saw no other ghosts and no one, not even the witch, could see her. It did raise questions as to why Bella could see her when the Bennett witch couldn't but Bella was an odd human. She was immune to mental attacks from magic or the Cold Ones. It made her wonder if Bella was also immune to compulsion. It would definitely be handy if she was.

Katherine looked confused as the girl grabbed a pill bottle from a drawer in the nightstand. It was empty except for one pill. Bella snatched her bottle of water. She popped the pill into her mouth before swallowing with water.

"Anxiety pills," Bella answered. "There is a full bottle in one of the kitchen cabinets. The only reason my father let me have this one in my room was because it was almost empty. Not enough to overdose."

"Why do you take those pills? Aren't the side effects terrible?"

"The side effects aren't pleasant but it helps. I have had a very hellish year so I would think me taking these were justifiable."

"Do you take them all the time?"

"No, I take them when I feel a panic attack coming or stressed." Bella set the water bottle back on her nightstand. She laid back in her bed and exhaled. Her panic attacks had gotten worse as of late and now strikes with little warning.

"You have anything planned for the day?"

"I was planning on watching a movie and reading at the library but I don't quite feel up to it anymore."

"Well, seeing as I am going to be stuck with you for god knows how long I don't want to be stuck with someone that doesn't have a fashion sense. I think it's time you upgraded your wardrobe."

"Thanks, but I'm fine with my clothes actually."

"Come on, try on even a few. I think you're over do for a makeover anyway."

"Will you stop whining about my clothes if I let you?"

"Maybe, come on it'll be fun. You do remember what fun is?"

"Your definition of fun is way different from mine."

"Live a little. It won't kill you." Katherine pouted. "I just had to end up with someone that would rather sit in bed all day then be out with people.

"Shut up. I'm getting up."

 **-X-**

When the Cullens were still around Bella had always dreaded shopping with Alice. The seer barely even took Bella's comments into consideration when they had shopped. It always made Bella feel as though her thoughts didn't matter to Alice at all. She was just some doll to dress up in the most ridiculous, uncomfortable clothes ever. Bella hadn't originally hated fashion but after her nightmarish experience with Alice, it became something she couldn't even stand. She mostly bought things online now. She had actually hoped that Alice would give her a makeover but this was before she ever went shopping with her. She always wanted a big makeover similar to the ones in teen movies. The dream died when she actually went makeup shopping with Alice. The makeup Alice gave her looked either too heavy or clownish. Shopping with Katherine was different. She took into consideration what her preferences were and the comfort level. She did pick a few pieces that were iffy but nothing compared to what Alice would bring her. Katherine then pointed at another leather jacket.

"You have to have at least one."

"You can't be serious." Bella eventually caved in. It was a nice black jacket and the price was a steal. She bought the jacket and carried the rest of the bags to the car.

"You should buy some more."

"You may have not had to worry about money in your life but I have to. I don't want to get into debt."

"I got it! Seeing as I'm dead, you can use my debit cards."

"Last time I checked, you were buried six feet under in some part of the forest."

"I have spares in my house that isn't far from her."

"You don't think it would be dangerous to go over there?"

"No, I didn't tell anyone about the house. I can give you directions to there and you can grab everything before nightfall." Bella glanced at the setting sun. She didn't particularly care about driving at night. She got into her car and started it up.

"If anything jumps out at you while you're driving, I give you permission to run it over."

"Has that actually happened before?"

"You'd be surprised." Katherine replied. The answer had not at all calmed Bella's nerves.

 **-X-**

Katherine's house laid twenty minutes outside of town and was surrounded by woods. The house reminded her of the Cullen's. It was expensive and made Bella not want to touch anything. When houses were this extravagant, it made Bella wonder how people could live in them. She would be afraid of breaking anything.

"Expensive."

"You aren't going to start trashing my house, are you?" She raised her eyebrow.

"I now regret telling you that story." After the anger had kicked in, Bella had trashed the Cullen house alongside Jacob. Well, Jacob watched more than he participated. It was her catharsis. It was better than any therapy session could give her. If the Cullens ever did come back, they will find their beloved home trashed. "It was a one-time thing." Bella walked in and kicked off her shoes before Katherine directed her through the house. Katherine had hidden a wallet full of debit cards in a tampon box. Bella gave Katherine points for creativity.

"You were creative, I'll give you that." Bella took the wallet out of the box. "It still feels like I'm stealing though."

"I gave you permission to use them and I don't know if you had noticed but I am dead. They are no use to me."

"Yes, I'm sure that will hold weight when the police are arresting me for stealing." Bella put the wallet in her back pocket. She couldn't help but be snarky around Katherine. Something about her made Bella say snippy comments. "Thank you." Katherine nodded.

"I'm surprised you haven't called your friends yet."

"I know they'll freak out if I do." Bella knew her friends would freak out at the first sign of trouble. She didn't want them to come here just to drag her back to Forks. Bella would have loved that but her father… Charlie loved Mystic Falls. She hadn't seen him this happy since she had first arrived in Forks. She didn't want to take that away from her father. No, she couldn't. She would deal with whatever trouble laid ahead. "Besides I have to fight my own battles sometimes."

Katherine almost scoffed at the girl. This wasn't some battle between bullies that she needed to overcome. She walked to her bedroom while Bella decided to head towards the kitchen. Bella had wondered if Katherine had any food in the refrigerator. Bella opened it but immediately closed it when she heard Katherine's voice.

"Bella!" Katherine rushed into kitchen. "Someone has been here." This put both girls in high alert.

"Who?" Bella asked. Katherine shook her head. She didn't know who had been there but someone had definitely had been there. She had left her bedroom neat and orderly but now it was trashed. She didn't know if someone had just trashed it out of revenge or was looking for something. The latter made much more sense because the rest of the house seemed to have been untouched. What could the person have wanted though?

"Let's go." Katherine said. Bella nodded, not wanting to argue. She walked to her car and entered. Was it a bad idea to have come here?

 **-X-**

 **(Forks)**

Paul followed after Sam but were stiff as they entered the house. They did not want to be in the den of Cold Ones but they didn't have much of a choice. They left most of the pack to patrol La Push. It originally was going to be just Sam and Paul but Jake refused to stay at the reservation and Angela didn't want to stay home. The small group stayed near the door trying to stay away from the leeches. Sam hadn't come here willingly. The Cullens had come back but he was willing to turn a blind eye. That was until they had requested for a meeting. All of the Cullens were there expect one, the empath. Paul scanned the house and wasn't surprised to find it in perfect shape. As if Bella had never hit everything with a baseball bat.

"What is she doing here?" Rosalie hissed. Angela stiffened but didn't back down. She wanted to kick Rosalie in her perfect teeth but knew it wouldn't hurt her. She couldn't stand the blond Barbie. Rosalie had been the most hateful to Bella and never told her why.

"I'm a witch and live here so I deserve to know what supernatural beings decide to live amongst us."

"She is with us. What do you leeches want to say? We are busy at the moment."

"I wanted to make sure that the treaty between us is still good and standing."

"It is. I know your intentions were not to ask about the treaty but about Bella."

"No one knows where she's gone and we were worried what happened to her." Esme spoke.

"She is fine. She has moved away from this town and is happy with her new life. She's moved on with her life."

"She could be in danger!" Alice blurted out.

"If she was in danger, she would call us." Paul said. "Bella is living a normal human life. I thought that was what you wanted? I didn't think you actually cared what happened to her seeing as Edward broke up with her in the woods."

"What?" All the Cullens asked except Edward and Alice.

"You didn't know? Your son left Bella in the woods after breaking her heart. She didn't know where she was and it became dark. Sam found her but the hypothermia was already setting in. If she had been left for a few hours, she wouldn't have woken up from her frozen nap." Paul continued. "He said some pretty awful things about Bella. How she was just a toy and a distraction for him. It took a while to get her out of that funk but Bella's a survivor."

"Edward, is this true?" Esme stared in disbelief at her son. Edward stayed silent.

"He won't tell you the truth." Paul spat. "Now that we are done here. We have a little warning just in case you leeches didn't get it through your think skulls. Do not go after Bella. Don't even ask where she lives now. It is none of your business. If you do not heed your warning and you do go after Bella, it will not end well for you."

"She's my mate!"

"Mates do not leave it each other regardless if the mate is human!" Angela yelled. "You would still want to protect her and never want to leave her. It doesn't matter if Bella is a human, it would still activate your mating instincts. I don't know who put such a crazy thought in your deluded head but she is not your mate."

"She has to be! I cannot read her thoughts."

"That doesn't mean anything!" Angela argued. "We have bigger problems than to convince you that you are not Bella's mate. Victoria is out for blood."

"We can take her." Emmett dismissed the topic which only made the group angrier.

"I would say go ahead but you aren't her target. Due to Edward's stupid decisions, Victoria is after Bella. Edward killed her mate so Victoria is after Edward's mate even though it has been proven she isn't. An eye for an eye. She is now in danger because of your stupidity."

"That isn't our problem." Rosalie rolled her eyes. "She chose this life."

"You left a human girl that had knowledge of the supernatural world with a vindictive vampire out on the prowl. You say she chose this life when this dick basically dragged her into it!" Paul growled. "She thought you were her friends—her family but you left her without a second thought!"

"We thought the breakup was mutual." Esme said.

"Well, that's just another lie your son told you." Jake replied.

"This meeting isn't going anywhere good. We will take our leave." Sam spoke.

"Bella is in danger! Victoria will find her but we can stop her if you tell us where Bella is."

"Did you have a vision of her being in danger?"

"Yes."

"Bullshit!" Paul screamed. Sam and Jake dragged a struggling Paul out of the house. Angela threw one last glare at the family before following after her friends.

"Calm down, Lahote. That's an order!" Paul wheezed at his Alpha's command. "I'm taking Paul to the woods and changing. Jake, take Angela home and report to my house when you're done."

"Alright, boss." Sam pulled Paul to the woods and disappeared from eye sight. Jake turned to Angela.

"Ready to go?" He asked. Angela nodded. The two of them go into the car. Jake drove off from the driveway and felt as though he could breathe again. Angela stared at Jake wondering why he had been so quiet. The silence went on for about five minutes until Jake asked,

"Spit it out, witchy. What is it that you want to ask?"

"I don't know if you'll answer." Angela bit her lip. It's now or never. "Do you love Bella?" It had been a question that had been bugging Angela lately. She saw the way he looked at her but it confused her why Jake never acted on it. She thought Jake and Bella would make a good couple.

"Yes."

"Then why—"

"As much as I love her, she only sees me as a friend. It has always been that way and besides I have not imprinted on her. I cannot claim something that is not mine. Even if she did accept my love, what would happen if I imprinted on someone or she found a mate? It would devastate either of us."

"Do you really think Bella will end with someone who wasn't human?"

"I'd be surprised if she didn't." Angela chose to drop the topic.

"I had bad vibes from Alice."

"I got bad vibes from all of them."

"Yes, I guess—JAKE WATCH OUT!" Angela shrieked as a figure suddenly appeared in the road. Jake stopped the car and put his arm out so it would stop Angela from hitting the dashboard. The car came to a screeching halt. The figure barely a feet away from the car.

"Vampire—"

"It's Jasper! What is he doing here?" Angela whispered.

"I guess we're about to find out." They both exited the car. Jake had ordered Angela to stay in the car but he knew she would ignore his demand.

"What do you want leech?"

"I came here to apologize." Jasper said. Angela and Jake shared a look. "I'm so sorry for attacking Bella. There is nothing I can say to tell you how guilty I felt. I never wanted anything to happen to her. It's just—"

"You slipped up." Both had been told about Bella's birthday accident. They had to plea with Bella to get anything out of her. The girl hated people worrying over her and they found it maddening at times.

"There was more to that story though. I wanted to tell Bella how sorry I was but they wouldn't let me talk to her. Next thing I knew the family was leaving. Alice wanted us to be alone but Rosalie wanted to go on a shopping spree with her—"

"Get to the point." Jake said. Jasper sighed.

"I had been skeptical of Alice's behavior before we even left. I didn't want to be alone with her at all so when she went with Rosalie, I could finally think clearly without being influenced by an outside source. I think Alice saw me attacking Bella."

"What do you mean?"

"I think Alice saw a vision of me attacking Bella."

"What could she possibly gain by you attacking Bella?" Angela questioned.

"I'm still figuring that out but it would explain her behavior. She said I wouldn't need to go out and hunt even though I felt as though I needed to. She said everything would be fine but it obviously didn't work out that way. She seemed so sure but her emotions were off. I didn't pay any mind to it but, boy, did I wish I had." Jasper paused. "It raises a red flag now since she had complained about barely seeing Bella's future after James' attack. After she had said that, she stopped the topic and changed it to something about clothes. She acted as if she had let something slip that she shouldn't have."

"Thank you for telling us." Angela then asked, "But why tell us this?"

"Me and Bella are pawns in whatever game Alice is playing. I have been set free because I divorced Alice and moved out. Bella won't be freed from Alice's grasp as easily. As for everyone else, I do not believe all of my family is evil. Emmett and Rosalie will walk away if something happens. Carlisle and Esme will try their hardest for their favorite daughter and son but they won't hurt Bella intentionally. Edward is a wild card. I do not know if he is acting on his own or he too is being controlled by Alice. Please do tell the pack this."

"I'll tell Sam this after I drop Angela off. I must warn you that if it comes down to Bella or them, we will choose Bella every time."

"I'm fine with that. They have made their decision as I have made mine." Jasper nodded. "Goodbye, I hope we meet again on better terms."

 **-X-**

 **(Mystic Falls)**

Katherine had left Bella hours ago. She didn't know where the ghost had gone but she probably didn't want to know. She watched _Teen Spirit_ on her phone in an attempt to forget about reality. She had stopped watching after the first twenty minutes. She usually enjoyed the movie but she was too creeped out by the eerie similarities between Lisa Sommer's life and her own. Bella glanced at her homework. She was thankful she only had to deal this for one more year. Bella could hardly believe she was already a senior. It seemed almost unreal and the semester was almost over. Next month was December.

She was brought out of her thoughts when her cell phone had rang. She grabbed it from the night stand and swiped the screen. The caller was none other than Paul Lahote. What did he want? Paul wasn't known for calling her to chat. She answered the call expecting the worst.

"Yes?"

"Bella," Paul began, "We have a problem."

"I was afraid you'd say that." Bella sighed. She couldn't get a break could she?

"It's Victoria. She came back and with a friend too."

"Was it Laurent?"

"Yes, it would seem so. The guy matched your description."

"What happened? No one got hurt did they?"

"We are all fine. We couldn't catch the redheaded bitch this time but her friend, Laurent, was not that hard to catch. He is nothing but ashes now." Paul paused. "Victoria is still out there... She knows Bella."

"Knows what?"

"They were scooping out your house. The two vamps seemed to be planning on attacking the house. We were able to chase them off into the woods before attacking. Victoria seemed to know something was up. We weren't as careful as we usually are and we rarely patrol the house anymore seeing as there was no need to. She must have caught on that you guys no longer lived there before disappearing into the water."

"Water?"

"We chased her a long ways, Bella. Half of the pack was destroying Laurent and the other half was chasing her. She jumped into the sea and that was the last we saw of her."

"She doesn't know where I am though…" Bella knew sending Victoria on this goose chase would end eventually but she hoped it wasn't now.

"No, she doesn't. I just wanted to let you now that she was on the loose so watch your back." Bella knew that wasn't the only thing Paul had to tell her. She knew Paul. He didn't call except for emergencies.

"Spit it out, Lahote."

"You know me too well. They're back Bella." Paul exhaled. "The Cullens." She froze in her spot. Their name brought back the memories she had desperately tried to cover up. It was surreal. Why were they back?

"When?"

"They came back to town a few days ago. They were looking for you."

"Why were they looking for me? Did they miss their toy?" Bella spat out.

"We had a meeting just a few hours ago. Carlisle had asked for us not to mention to you that they were back. Sam said that there was no need and that you had left. Fuckward had asked where you had gone. We told them it wasn't their business since they were so eager to leave you in the first place. We did give them a not so subtle warning that going after you will only end with their deaths."

"I doubt they'll listen."

"One can only hope."

"Goodnight, Paul."

"Goodnight, Swan." Bella rolled her eyes before hanging up. She sunk into her bed but didn't let the thoughts sink in. She blasted her music in her ears and let sleep carry her off.

 **-X-**

It was Thursday morning and the school was buzzing with excitement. Next week was Thanksgiving break which meant a whole week of doing completely nothing. A teenager's dream. Bella planned on reading up on ghosts next week. Maybe her research would shed some light on the situation at hand. She was tempted to ask Angela but her friend would have asked too many questions. Bella was stuck with finding the answers herself seeing as Katherine had been gone since Sunday night. Bella was lying if she wasn't the tiniest bit worried about Katherine but she also knew that Katherine would be able to handle whatever it was.

"Alright, seeing as the Christmas party is not that far away, we will need volunteers—" Bella drowned out Caroline's jabbering. The girl was too preppy and cheery for Bella's tastes. She also found the blond infuriating because she never shut up. Not everything in life had to be celebrated with a party.

"You didn't wear any of your new clothes!" A feminine voice hissed. Bella turned to see Katherine standing next to her desk scolding her. She was about to reply with a snarky answer but stopped herself. She was in a classroom full of students and the last thing she wanted was them asking who she was talking to. She didn't want to be known as Bella, the schizophrenic chick.

" _I will_." Bella whispered. She spoke loud enough for Katherine to hear but not enough to draw attention to herself. She had forgotten that Caroline was a vampire and had supernatural hearing.

"Really? Give it up for our first volunteer, Bella!" Bella stood frozen as the class turned to her and clapped. Caroline gave Bella a beaming smile. "Who else wants to join?" Bella turned to the ghost she hated with a passion. She threw the ghost a glare but it didn't stop the smirk that formed on Katherine's lips.

 **-X-**

Bella wanted to run out of the school. Caroline was basically joined to her hip and would babble about her plans for the Christmas party. She just wanted to yell at the girl to shut up. When lunch had hit, Bella was forced to sit with Caroline's friends. Elena sat on the opposite side of her, thank god. The doppelganger made it clear she did not like her presence but stayed busy on her phone. She was on her own with the bubbly blond. Thankfully, a girl came to the table and sat next to Caroline. The girl's name was Bonnie Bennett. The only sane person at this table. Bella would have enjoyed to being friends with the girl but she was heavily involved with Elena's and Caroline's life so the wish died straightaway. Two more people joined the table after her. Tyler Lockwood and Matt Donovan were jocks. Jocks and cheerleaders were Bella's least favorite type of people but she seemed to be surrounded with them as of late. Katherine was currently surveying the group and would say something spiteful about them but Bella mostly ignored her comments. Caroline had chatted with Bonnie after she had filled Elena in on why she was here.

"Have you ever been to a party?" Elena probed. "You don't seem the party type."

"I have been to junior prom, if that counts." Bella tried not to scold the girl. "Forks just wasn't a party kind of town."

"What are you good with? We need decorators—"

"I'm good at art." She said, interrupting Caroline. Katherine raised an eyebrow. She didn't see Bella as the artsy type then again she didn't see Klaus as one either.

"I didn't know that." Katherine and Elena had said simultaneously. Katherine glared at her doppelganger. Bella's laugh was masked by her fake coughing which earned her a scowl from Katherine.

"Need something to drink?" Bonnie asked.

"No, I think I'm fine." Bella cleared her throat. "I should go. I have a project for my business class that's due Friday."

"Okay, I will let you know when the first meeting to set everything up for the Christmas party will be. It will probably be a few days after we come back from break." Caroline informed. She nodded before grabbing her things and darting off to the library. Katherine did not follow after Bella. She instead stayed back to observe the group.

"You were right. You two do look related." Bonnie agreed with her friend. "Not uncanny like you and Katherine though." So it wasn't just Katherine that saw the resemblance.

"Don't even say _her_ name." Elena gave an annoyed sigh. "If we talk about her, it may just jinx our luck." _Too late_ , Katherine thought.

"Now all we have to deal with are the Originals." Caroline's lips formed a tight line. "Starting with Rebekah preferably." Wait, were all the Originals awake? It made Katherine wonder exactly how long she was in the darkness before she had become a ghost. She thought it was maybe a day but now she wasn't so sure. This also made her worry. She would have to tell Bella so she could watch out for them. The last thing Katherine needed was Bella to become their next meal.

"Are you sure we should let her help with the Christmas party? She isn't very social." Elena muttered.

"She is new here so maybe she's just shy." Katherine roared with laughter. Katherine knew better. When it came to Bella, what you see is what you get.

"You wanted to befriend her not so long ago. What changed your mind?"

"She is so boring." Elena whined. Katherine felt offended on behalf of Bella. "All she does is read and do homework. She probably doesn't want hang out with us because she thinks she's too smart for us."

"Fine, I will tell her tomorrow that we have enough volunteers so she wouldn't have to do it." Caroline said, finally caving into Elena's demands.

"Thank God!" Elena thanked Caroline.

-X-

Bella was utterly exhausted. The nightmares had started again last night. She didn't get a wink of sleep. She was surprised she hadn't fallen asleep on her homework. She had lied about needing to finish her business project. She had finished that project days ago and the homework she was doing wasn't even due until they got back. She just wanted to relax next week and besides, if something did come up, she would rather not be worrying about unfinished homework. She finally closed her notebook knowing she wouldn't be able to get anything done in the noisy library. She sat back in her chair and let her body relax. Bella glanced around the library and found her eyes drawn to one spot. A guy was sitting by himself at the farthest corner of the library.

He was reading a worn book and from what Bella could tell, it was foreign. As if sensing her gaze, the guy looked up. His brown eyes met hers but Bella did not cower under his eyes. He was beautiful, his feature angelic. His smirk told a different story. Bella turned her attention away. Who was he? She hadn't seen him before and he was someone she wouldn't have overlooked. Bella briefly turned back to see the guy still staring at her. He raised an eyebrow as if challenging her. She felt heat creep up on her cheeks. _Look away_ , her thoughts screamed. She reluctantly turned away. She need to keep herself busy so she decided on putting her earphones in and listening to music on her phone.

A hand had suddenly slapped itself on the desk, right in front of her. Bella jumped at the sudden movement. Her heart had skyrocketed and the poor girl felt the air had been knocked out of her. She looked up and saw one of the old librarians.

"The bell is about to ring," The old lady scolded her. Bella wasted no time gathering her things but as she rushed to the exit. She couldn't help but glance one last time at him. The guy had vanished.

 **-X-**

Bella sat on the floor of her bathroom waiting for the timer to go off. The dye made her hair feel itchy and she had half the mind to just wash it off. It was Katherine's idea after all. Bella didn't care about her hair color but Katherine had somehow convinced her to dye it fully auburn. Bella didn't like the fact that Katherine was able to convince her to do things she generally would not do.

"Stop pouting. You only have a few more minutes to keep it in."

"I don't see how I let you convince me to do these things."

"Persuasion is my specialty." Bella let out an unladylike snort. "Besides this will make you look less like Elena."

"We don't have that much of a resemblance."

"You know, denial isn't just a river in Egypt." Katherine retorted.

"So what is we look similar? It doesn't seem to matter."

"Let's just say, looking like a doppelganger isn't a good way to stay alive besides they are curious as to why you two look similar."

"Do you really think we are related?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean _you don't know_?" Bella hissed.

"I don't know. Isobel and Elena are the only descendants I knew of and Isobel is dead. It is possible but even I'm not sure." Bella rubbed her temple. This ghost was so much trouble for her and to think she wanted a peaceful life here. Silly her, Bella forgot she could never have a peaceful, stress free life.

"I think I'm going to have a headache."

"Go take a shot of tequila if it hurts that much."

"Alcohol isn't the solution to everything."

"You'd be surprised." Bella's phone went off. "Now go shower and we will see how it turns out." Katherine, thankfully, left the room. Bella stripped her of the old pajamas. The dye was all over it and she knew it was time to throw it away. She got into her shower and washed the excess dye off.

Bella sauntered into her room with only a towel on. Katherine sat on her bed waiting patiently. She got off the bed and examined her. Bella had been instructed to blow dry her hair before she left the bathroom so they could see what the color would actually turned out.

"Much better," Katherine said approvingly. She raked through her hair with her hand. She had loved her dark brown and missed its dark tresses already. "It makes you look more alive."

"Well, I was going for the vampire pale look. Undead is the new sexy I heard." Bella smirked. Katherine rolled her eyes before looking into her closet. She was apparently picking out Bella's outfit for tomorrow because she couldn't trust her to dress nice. Bella clenched her fist. "We've kind of danced around this topic… What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?" Katherine turned away from the clothes and stared directly at her.

"I mean so far I am the only one that can see you but that's going to get old fast. We aren't exactly the best of friends and there are a lot of things about you I don't agree with. Why am I able to see you anyway? Bonnie is a witch so she should be at the very least able to sense you and what happens if they find out I can see you?"

"You're overthinking this. Did something happen?"

"What do you mean?"

"I heard you screaming the other night. Charlie woke you up before I could do anything." Katherine admitted. Bella felt herself become fluster. Katherine had heard her pathetic screams? She wanted to lie so badly. It was so easy to lie because it didn't require the cold hearted truth but she knew Katherine would see right past it.

"It's Victoria and the Cullens."

"What about them? Isn't that pack full of dogs dealing with the redhead? Also didn't you tell me the Cullens are gone?"

"They were but they came back. The pack was able to kill Laurent but not Victoria and it seems she figured out that I've left. I don't know what to do. If Victoria finds me…" Bella paused. "I mean who's going to stop her? You're a ghost and the pack may not be here in time to save me if she strikes. They already have to worry about their lands and the Cullens. Besides, Victoria is skilled at escaping so it will take almost the whole pack to try and take her down. I already know that will fail because half the pack has to stay in La Push to patrol. She could hurt Charlie…"

"Hey, I know you could care less if I disappeared right now and never came back." Bella opened her mouth to argue but Katherine shushed her. "This situation was not what either of us planned but we have to make due of the situation. If you die, I don't know what will happen. We both could be stuck on this plane. I don't think either of us want to be stuck with each other forever. This means we have to come up with ideas to keep you protected from Victoria."

"The only think I could think of was becoming a vampire but it's too risky. I can't exactly ask to be turned."

"Dammit! If only I knew where my body was, then you could have drank the blood and changed. I would suggest just start searching the woods but I'm sure they hide my body well."

"That doesn't leave me with many options does it?"

"There are a few but you would never consider them."

"I refuse to manipulate men for my own gain."

"Fine, women it will be."

"Katherine!"

"This is survival, Bella. There is no room for being nice when your own life is on the line."

"No, I refuse. I can survive without manipulating or hurting people." Bella knew how it felt to be used and she refused to do that to someone else.

"If you truly believe that then you are already dead." Katherine hissed before disappearing before her eyes.

 **-X-**

Katherine had acted as though last night had not happened. Bella wanted to bring it up but she knew it would do no good. It would only make both them angry at each other again so she too pretend that last night had not occurred. Katherine had pointed at which clothes Bella should wear for the day. Bella took them off the hangers and set them on the bed. She then went to the bathroom to freshen up. Bella took her time in there because she couldn't face Katherine. She so badly wanted to talk about last night.

She emerged out of the bathroom and then slowly sauntered back to her room. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw that Katherine had disappeared. Bella took this opportunity to dress herself. She didn't know when Katherine would pop back in so she quickly put on her outfit. When she was finally dressed, Bella went back to the bathroom to see how she looked.

It was jarring seeing her not only in an outfit more suited to Katherine's taste, but also her newly dyed auburn hair. She raked her hand through her soft locks. She was wearing dark denim jeans paired with a red shirt and a black leather jacket.

"See? You look good without those button downs." Bella jumped at the sudden appearance of Katherine. The doppelganger seemed proud of her work.

"It looks like something you would wear." Bella thought the outfit made her very _provocative_. Something she wasn't use to labeling herself. The outfit covered her body but it hugged her curves and the shirt empathized her breasts. She felt guilty for wearing it. She could hear Edward's disapproving tone but she blocked it out.

"Don't start moping. You look nice."

"Bella?" Charlie called for her behind the door. Bella opened the door and saw her father in his police outfit. Bella hoped he hadn't heard her. "Were you on the phone?"

"Yes, actually." She lied. "I was talking with a friend from school."

"I've never seen you wear that outfit before. Did you go shopping?"

"Yes, I went shopping on Sunday while you were gone. My friend told me to try something new so I did."

"Well, that's nice that you've found a friend. I just came to tell you that I won't be here until late. There have been some animal attacks so no going off into the woods, 'ya here me?"

"Yep,"

"Have a good day at school, Bells."

"Have a good day at work, Charlie." Charlie nods and heads down the steps.

"That was close." Katherine said.

"Too close," Bella agreed with the doppelganger.

 **-X-**

Bella could feel eyes on her before she even walked into the school. Katherine walked beside the girl and gave her advice as she walked down the hallway. Bella wanted to go hide somewhere. She did not enjoy all this attention on her, actually she detested it. Everyone was openly gawking at her and it made her tremendously uncomfortable. Couldn't they just mind their own business? Didn't their mothers tell them staring was rude? It also didn't help Bella's case when people actively made a path for her.

"Stand up straight." Katherine warned Bella. "Remember to walk with confidence. Give them something to look at." Bella would have replied with something snarky but went against it. Several students were watching her and she didn't want to appear as some madwoman. She wasn't ready to head to an insane asylum just yet.

"Bella!" Caroline ran up to her. Katherine had warned Bella of the conversation that had happened after she left the table yesterday. It wasn't a surprise. Elena was probably still bitter by Bella's rejection for friendship. "You look good." _Here goes nothing_ , Bella thought. She gave the best fake smile she could muster.

"I thought I needed a change. Is there something you wanted to speak to me about?"

"Yes…" Caroline drawled. "The Christmas party—"

"Oh, yes, I had a few ideas for it." Bella then spoke softly. "I was excited about it. I was going to give you some ideas I had yesterday but I felt unwelcomed. Elena was giving me these looks so that's why I was so quiet. I really do want to help. It hasn't been easy making friends here you see. I love books, if you couldn't tell, not many people here share my love for it. This school is very different from my last one so it has been very hard adjusting." This left both Katherine and Caroline speechless. Bella held her dazzling smile.

"I'm sorry that Elena treated you that way. If I had seen her doing that, I would have told her to stop. I have to go to class but I would love to hear your ideas today at lunch."

"Do you think she'll mind..?" Bella's smile faded and her gaze dropped to the ground. "I really don't want to be a bother."

"Elena and Bonnie are busy with a history project so you have nothing to worry about." Caroline gave Bella a hug which made the girl become stiff. "I am so sorry again for the way Elena treated you."

"It's fine. I'll see you at lunch." Bella's smile appeared again. They both parted ways. She looked at Katherine, whose mouth was wide open.

"You played the sympathy card." Katherine said in disbelief.

"I can't just let Elena get her way, can I?" Bella smirked. "That chick needs a reality check."

"You know if I didn't know better, I would say I was rubbing off on you."

-X-

Caroline had cancelled last minute saying that Elena had come down with a cold. Bella knew it was probably a lie but it meant she had more time to come up with party ideas. She went straight to the library. She wasn't all that hungry and besides she wouldn't be sitting by anyone anyways. She sat at a table furthest away from the students. Thankfully there wasn't all that many. She opened up her French book.

"Hello, beautiful." Bella turned to see the guy from the other day standing beside her. His accent wasn't what she pictured of. The English accent fit him though. "May I sit?"

"Of course," She nodded, a little too franticly in her opinion. The guy sat beside her and put his book down.

"Russian, nice."

"You know Russian?" He asked, surprised.

"Sadly, no. My mother wanted my childhood emerged in different cultures and languages. I am only fluent in French and Italian but I spent enough time in my childhood to recognize other languages." Bella smiled fondly at the memory of her eccentric mother. "She loved Italy which is why I have an Italian first name: Isabella. I prefer Bella though. What's your name?"

"Kol," He answered. Bella stilled at the name. No, it couldn't have been Kol Mikaelson, one of the Original sibling. Katherine said he was still asleep in some coffin somewhere. "Your mother must have been a nice woman. You smile when you talk about her."

"She is. I miss her so much. I still can't believe I haven't seen her in over a year."

"Why is that?"

"My parents are divorced."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. They've been divorced since I was little and their separated on a good note too." She went on, "Me and my father came here from Forks, Washington. We both needed a change and he had a job offer here so that's why I'm here now."

"That's quite the story you have there. Mine is much more boring. I was dragged here by my older sibling. I didn't think I'd stay here for very long but it seems all my siblings want to stay here now."

"I hear siblings are a handful." Kol gave her you-only-know-the-half-of-it look.

"You're a single child I take it?"

"Yes, I count my blessings every day." Bella chuckled. "Do any of your siblings go here?"

"Yes, Rebekah is in the same grade as me." The answer confirmed her suspicions. She was indeed talking to an Original vampire. The fact should make her shake in her chair but she didn't. Kol, despite Katherine's vivid description, did not appear as a deranged vampire.

"Are you two seniors?"

"Yes," Kol nodded. "What about you?

"I am a senior as well and glad to be one. I don't think I could stand to be with some of these people for another year. I would resort to online schooling if that was the case."

"Yes, the teenagers here are a very rambunctious lot.

"Lot? You really are British." Bella giggled. "Are you going to say rubbish next?"

"Kol!" A feminine voice pierced the quiet room. Kol sank into his chair which made Bella laugh.

"The she devil is here."

"I take it that is your sister?"

"Unfortunately," Kol responded. Rebekah came to the table and had her hands on her hips seeming ready to demand something. Rebekah, unlike Kol, had stunning blue eyes and blond hair. The girl reminded her of Rosalie. They were breathtakingly beautiful but Bella did not know yet if Rebekah had a personality similar to Rosalie's. Despite her supermodel features, Rosalie's attitude made her an ugly being. Her core was rotten and cruel. "What do you want?"

"That blasted blond bimbo said I couldn't help out with the Christmas party planning even though it is open for volunteers. I have half the mind to knock her down the stairs."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I have an idea. Caroline said something about a meeting for the volunteers about the Christmas party. They'll be bouncing ideas and stuff that day. Caroline expects me to be there and she said nothing about not bringing people. You could come with me. If she complains, I'll just tell her she didn't make it clear that I couldn't bring people with me." Bella suggested.

"Really?" Rebekah seemed so surprised by her offer then again she was probably not use to people doing things for her without a price. It was sad in Bella's mind. She felt that people shouldn't always have a price for helping someone out.

"Yes, just promise me that when you finally decide to push Caroline down the stairs make sure Elena goes down with her." Rebekah grinned.

"Deal. My name is Rebekah by the way."

"My name is Bella." Bella gestures to the empty seat beside her. "You can sit down with us if you want."

 **-X-**

It was after school when Bella began her search for books about interior design, decoration, and parties from the local library. If she was going through with this, she had to be able to give some great ideas to Caroline. Bella knew Caroline would already not be a happy camper letting Rebekah come and she knew Elena would jump at the opportunity to kick her out if she messed up. The pressure was on but Bella believed she could pull it off.

"I can't believe you are actually trying. I would think by now you would have told Caroline that you couldn't help plan the party. I must say I am a little proud." Katherine spoke.

"I'm not one to step down from a challenge. Besides, I told her I was doing it and I intend to do just that."

"You are a real schemer you know that, Isa?"

"Isa? Is that my new nickname now?"

"Well, I know you hate to be called Isabella."

"It does have a certain ring to it." Bella agreed.

"Now are you going to tell me what happened during lunch? Don't say nothing happened because you had that look on your face. You know I hate surprises."

"What look?" Bella asked, innocently.

"Don't act all innocent."

"I'm not." She then decided to ignore Katherine. She knew Katherine would disapprove of her contact with Kol and Rebekah. They were the siblings of Klaus. Rebekah and Kol were not Klaus and didn't pose a threat to her, yet. Bella tried to reach for the book on the top shelf but her efforts were fruitless. She huffed in annoyance. She put her books down on the nearest table before snatching one of the table's chairs and dragging it to the spot. She stood on the chair and reached for the book. _You better be worth it_ , Bella thought. She did not take into consideration that all her weight was on one side of the chair until it began tipping towards the books. In an effort to reclaim her balance, she shifted her weight to the other side of the chair.

"Bella!" Katherine yelped.

"Ah!" She let out a scream when the chair tipped the other way. She lost her balance and knew what was coming next. She mentally prepared herself for the impact. The impact never came. Instead, a pair of hands grabbed her and stopped her from falling to the ground. Bella opened her eyes and saw a blonde, blue eyed man staring back at her.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, thank you." The man helped her onto her feet. Bella let out a breath when she regained her balance. "Thank you." She repeated. She looked towards Katherine but the brunette woman was not looking at her. Katherine stared at the blue eyed man with an expression she had never seen on her before. Katherine looked absolutely _terrified_. Bella had an idea as to why Katherine was horrified but she did not want to admit it.

"My name is—"

"Bella!" A feminine voice squealed. Bella saw Rebekah walking over to them.

"Hey, Bekah." Bella said, surprised. What was Rebekah doing here? "What's up?" Rebekah glanced between her and the blue eyed man. She then noticed the fallen chair.

"Did you fall?"

"Um, yeah. He stopped me from falling though."

"How nice of you, Nik." _Yep_ , Bella thought, _this is Klaus_. She had expected the man to be menacing or look out of place. He seemed normal. He was wearing a faded white shirt with jeans. It was almost surreal seeing such an old being to look so modernized.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to get my library card. I hadn't come around to doing it but I had time today." Rebekah smiled. "You got a decoration book, can I see it?"

"Of course," She handed her the book. "I have some more books you can look at. I put it on the table over there." Bella was about to pick the chair up from the ground and take it with them but Klaus beat her to it. She instead followed behind Rebekah awkwardly. She passed Katherine whose facial expression was now unreadable. She knew as soon as they left, Katherine would have some words to say to her.

"These books do look interesting."

"We can split them. That way we both can study them carefully without the need to rush though the books and we can talk about them to each other. Bounce some ideas off each other."

"That's a good idea. How will we talk to each other? We won't see each other until after next week. I would suggest coming here but I don't know if Elena and her followers will show up. I know they'll give you a hard time if they see you talking with me."

"I don't care what they say. I decide who I befriend and they aren't exactly the best company to keep around. I mean have you seen what they wear?" This made Rebekah chuckle. "I can give you my phone number so we can chat."

"I don't have one right now—I dropped it. I am about to go get a new one." Bella knew it was a lie but didn't say anything. She wrote her phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to Rebekah. "Right, brother?"

"If we go now, I'll take you to get one." Klaus said. She then handed her books to Klaus and gave him her library card. He headed towards the check out. _I guess behind every scary man is an equally scary sister that they will do anything to keep her happy_ , Bella laughed mentally.

"I guess that's a benefit of having an older brother. They're your personal chauffeur." Bella told Rebekah. The blond grinned.

"If only that was the case," She replied. "I had to beg him to take me here. Kol left because he was all grouchy and Elijah was busy moping in the corner. Nik had been also complaining about the girl he fancies not returning his feelings."

"I thought men didn't have periods." Rebekah roared with laughter.

"Good one! I always think they are PMSing."

"Who does Klaus like?"

"Oh trust me you wish you hadn't know. He fancies Caroline."

" _Caroline Forbes_?" Bella could not see Caroline and Klaus being in the same room together let alone being a couple. She was a very superficial person.

"My exact reaction!"

"Isn't she dating Tyler?"

"Yep," Rebekah sighed. "Nothing stops my brothers from achieving their goal even if it will not end well for anyone involved."

"I checked out your books." Klaus handed Rebekah back the books. "We can go get your phone unless you want to keep gossiping about my love life."

"No, I think we're good." Bella said. She wouldn't let Klaus scare her off that easily.

"See you later, Bella. I will call you when I get my new phone and we could talk about the party plans over dinner?"

"I'd love that." Rebekah waved bye before exiting out of the library with her brother. Bella searched for Katherine but could not find her. She checked out her book and headed towards her car. Why did she feel so guilty? She knew Katherine hated Klaus because she swore he was the devil but Katherine wasn't exactly an angel. The whole situation was so messed up. Katherine had fucked up a lot of people's life but so did Klaus and his family as well as every other supernatural being in this damned town. Her phone's ring pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Your werewolf pets may have hid you for now but do not worry your time is almost here." A feminine voice growled. "Tell me how does it feel knowing your death is on the horizon?" She wondered how the bitch got her cell phone number but she doubted the woman would answer. Even if she did, Bella doubted she wanted to know the answer.

"I forgot all about you, Victoria. Tell me how is Laurent doing?" Bella heard an animalistic hiss through the other side of the phone.

"You will pay for what you've done."

"You keep saying that and yet I'm still alive. Besides the only one paying will be you. You do realize Edward isn't even my mate, right?"

"It doesn't matter. You were the reason my James was killed. You will pay with your pathetic excuse of a life after I have had my fun with you."

"I'd love to see you try. You don't even know where I could possibly be. This was a nice chat but I have to go." Bella hung up her phone and threw it in the back. Her hands hit the steering wheel. She was now being backed into a corner and had no way of escaping.

 ** _If you truly believe that then you are already dead._**

 **-X-**

Jeremy Gilbert wanted to puke when he saw his sister and Damon flirting on the couch. He shut the door to announce his presence but they didn't care. They were so caught up with each other Jeremy was sure they wouldn't have noticed a serial killer walking in. He shook his head. Despite all the mayhem and destruction Damon has caused, Elena forgave him in a blink of an eye. It made Jeremy sick to his stomach. Damon mistreated everyone and had even killed him yet his sister could not see how evil Damon really was. He felt betrayed. He walked passed them and ignored them as best he could.

"Jeremy," Anna spoke. "How did it go with, Bonnie?" Jeremy followed Anna to his room. He was still getting used to seeing Anna's ghost but her sudden appearances didn't startle him anymore.

"I let her go. She was sad at first but we both felt it inside us that we needed to leave each other. We are still friends though." Anna smiled. Anna did not want to hurt Bonnie to get to Jeremy so she had stepped back. It turned out much better this way. Bonnie was still a friend of his and there was no hard feelings. The last thing Anna wanted was Bonnie, a Bennett witch, to have a grudge on her.

"I'm happy. Bonnie is a nice person and I didn't want to come between you two. It's nice that both of you will still be friends."

"I just wish she wouldn't let Elena manipulate her into doing things she didn't want to do. Bonnie may be a witch but she is still human."

"I'll keep an eye out for her." Anna assured. She saw past Elena as well. Elena was manipulative and has caused several deaths so she could live another day. She was probably a good person at first but it's gone to her head. She thinks she is so important that no one in their right mind would kill her seeing as Klaus would have their head. Anna prayed that someone would come and knock that girl off her high horse.

"Thanks."

"So I heard Elena whining about this Bella chick." Anna hadn't meant to listen in on Elena's conversation with Damon but she was curious when the girl was mentioned.

"She's a new student." Jeremy explained. "She is just mad because Bella didn't want to be her friend." Anna couldn't blame the girl for not wanting to be Elena's friend.

"Who would?" Anna snorted. "I would prefer being friends with piranhas."

"Bonnie did say that she got an odd vibe from Bella. Elena asked Bonnie to shake Bella's hand when she could. She think Bella may be dangerous."

"Do you think she is?"

"No, she seemed fine or at least from what I could tell." Jeremy shrugged.

"Well, I should warn you that Elena was complaining about her earlier to Damon and I am afraid he may take matters into his own hands."

"The only person that could stop him is Bonnie seeing as Stefan is who knows where but Elena could convince her that Bella is bad news."

"I could watch over her. It would give me something to do."

"Would you?" Jeremy didn't want to send Anna to do something she wasn't comfortable with. She nodded. "How about tomorrow? I don't want to her those two." Jeremy knew if he was left alone with Damon now he would just grab a stake and pierce his heart.

"So, how was your day?"

 **-X-**

 _Bella found herself in a forest at dusk. The forest was painted in red. She screamed as she saw the bodies of her parents and her friends. Their bodies mauled with multiple bite marks. The image tormented her even though she knew it was not real. Victoria walked on their bodies as she went up to Bella. Victoria's clothes were soaked in blood._

 _"It's all your fault. You should have just died." Victoria smiled sinisterly. "You are the true monster, Bella. Here you are putting all these people's lives at stake so you won't be alone. If you just had handed yourself in, they would have been spared. I guess no life is worth more than yours?"_

 _"Shut up!"_

 _"The sadness, the loneliness it's crippling you. This madness that has infested your mind is ripping you from the inside out. You poor broken girl. Your heart and soul may be free but your mind is not. Your mind is tormented by the past. You will always be someone's caged bird. It may prettier and a little bigger but it is still a cage, a prison you cannot escape." Victoria walked passed the dead bodies. She looked further into the forest. Bella followed her gaze and saw a younger version of herself._

 _"Do you see that naive girl? She doesn't know what will happen to her once reality sets in." Bella didn't know what came over her but she ran to the image of her younger self._

 _"Go!" She yelled. The girl stood there, frozen. "You aren't safe here."_

 _"Your childhood was so innocent. The only thing you feared were the monsters under your bed." Victoria whispered behind her. "You were a pretty little thing too. Your mind was begging to be destroyed. Don't you find it funny? Your mind may be safe from outsiders but it is not safe from those inside." Bella reached out for the child._

 _"Monster! Monster! Get away from me!" The girl shouted before taking off. Bella touched her face._

 _"Monster? I'm not a—"_

 _"You are the monster. You refuse to see the truth rotting underneath! Take a good look in the mirror, darling. What do you see?" Victoria grabbed her hair and had her face a mirror that was mounted on a tree. The woman staring back at her was barely recognizable. She knew it was her but the being that stared back at her was twisted. Her once soft chocolate brown eyes were replaced with cold dark ones. Her hair was curled to perfection. The mirror image was wearing a black dress. The woman smirked._

 _"I look like…"_

 _"Katherine?" The mirror image's velvety voice echoed. "A better version I hope. We did kill her."_

 _"I wouldn't kill someone." Bella hissed. "I will never be like Katherine."_

 _"It can't be helped. It runs in our veins." She smiled with her fangs showing. "All that follows us now is a trail of blood and broken hearts."_

 _"It's so pathetic that you hide behind that bravado when in reality you are just a girl that wants her mother to come save her from the monsters under her bed." Victoria hissed._

 _"We killed all the monsters under our bed." The vampire Bella laughed. "But in the end, we became the scariest monster."_

 _"I'll never become you."_

 _"It's too late. You are already becoming what you fear." The vampire Bella paused. "If you are the innocent one, why are you the one covered in blood?" Bella didn't dare look down. She already knew what she would see. Victoria's nails dug into her skin. Her screams fell on deaf ears. The pain unbearable._

 _"You cannot escape your own mind, your own insanity!" The vampire Bella then reached out to grab her from the mirror but it was too late. Her mind was already waking up._

Bella woke up screaming as she usually did when she had a nightmare and her bite mark burned. Her tears were streaming down her face and her body covered in sweat. Her heart was beating a mile an hour and she couldn't stop her body from shivering. She knew a panic attack was about to occur. It was just seconds away.

"Katherine…" The panic evident in her voice. The panic attack slowly seized her body. The room was spinning and she could barely breathe.

"I'm here. I'm here." Katherine tried calming down the distressed girl. "You will be okay. You'll get through this."

"I'm so sorry." Bella choked out. "I fucked up… I always fuck things up…" If Katherine was still alive, she would have felt as though Bella was going to be the death of her. She had never before felt sympathy for someone other than her. The feeling foreign to her as she comforted the girl.

"I don't belong here… Everyone is in danger because of me." Bella cried. "I should be dead!"

"Shh… It's okay." Katherine whispered. She tried to soothe her but Bella whimpers only grew louder. Bella could no longer control her heart rate. Her body twitched sporadically.

"I need my medicine!" Bella crawled out of her bed. She held onto the wall. Her legs trembled with each step. The only thing Katherine could do was watch. Bella finally reached the staircase and had a death grip on the stairs' railing. Nothing could have prepared either of them for Bella's fall. Bella felt her body cave in from the pressure and her hands slipped. Her body swayed forward and she was in no condition to regain any sort of balance. Bella's arms went to her face to protect it from the impact. Her body then bashed against the ground and her body tumbled all the way down the stairs until the back on her head smashed against the wooden floor. Blood began to pool around Bella's head forming a halo. Katherine rushed to the girl's side but felt utterly helpless.

"Stay awake!" Katherine's screams fell on death ears. Bella's eyes were zoned out and her heart was slowly becoming faint. Katherine then sees headlights pouring into the room from the window. Katherine turned and saw a police car coming into the driveway. "Please, come here quick! Bella, listen to my voice!"

"I'm so sorry," Bella breathed. "I left you all alone."

"Bella—"

"I never wanted to be alone so I know how it feels. I hope you can forgive me for leaving you." Bella coughed. "I forgave you."

"Bella!" Charlie yelled as the door swung open hitting the wall. Charlie rushed to his daughter. All Katherine could do was watch. A woman then rushed into the house.

"Call 911!"

"We can drive to the hospital faster. The emergency car will take too long." The police officer, Carol Forbes, shook her head. "I'll fix her up enough to survive the car ride. A medical kit should be in the passenger compartment. We'll carry her out." Katherine watched as Charlie grabbed the upper part of Bella while Carol had her by the feet. Bella turned her head slightly. She was looking straight at her. Bella reached out a trembling hand before it went limp.

 **A/N**

 **Please remember to review! I would have updated earlier but has been having problems uploading. Also, this chapter/story has no beta yet (I actually haven't had one before). I am currently on the search for one but if any of you guys are betas that have an interest in this story just let me know! :)**


	2. The tie that binds

**Summary: Bella Swan leaves Forks in the rearview mirror. Her new life at Mystic Falls is not all it was cracked out to be. All she wanted was a normal last year but her wish is shattered on the floor when she is toe to toe with a ghost that is none other than Katherine Petrova.**

 **Alternative Universe/ Alternative timeline**

 **Crossover: Twilight and Vampire Diaries**

 **Rated: M**

 **Pairing(s): Klaus/Bella/Kol**

 **Warning: Sexual content and language**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire diaries or Twilight.**

 **Third POV**

 _Bella stood inches away from the cliff. The waves violently hit the rocks below and_ _the wind chilled her to the bone. She took slow deep breaths. This was the cliff the La Push guys jumped off. She was afraid of falling so she stepped away from the cliff. Why was she here? Bella did not understand the purpose of this strange dream. She turned away from the cliff and began walking away but she came to a sudden halt. A man stood before her. He looked exactly as Katherine had described him to be. Stefan Salvatore watched her with predatory eyes. His green eyes were cold and lifeless. His smirk grew._

" _What are you doing here, Stefan?" Bella's eyebrows narrowed. He suddenly appeared right in front of her. Stefan grabbed her by the neck, suffocating her._

" _Stefan—!" She clawed at his arm as he slowly walked to the end of the cliff. He held her over the edge._

" _I should have killed you when I had the chance." He said, darkly. "I will miss our little games dearly but I know this is how it has to be." He then let go. Bella screamed as she fell. The chilling water engulfed her body. Her body slowly sinking to the floor of the sea. She felt the waves carrying her body away. She was a feather to the ferocious sea. She forced her eyes open even though the salt burned them. In the distance she could see a figure with red hair approaching her. She panicked. She swan backwards to get away the approaching person. She did not realize she was swimming toward the rocks. Her head hit it and the world was becoming black. She could feel her body sink slowly into the darkness but suddenly she feels a hand grab her by the arm and pulled her away._

 **-X-**

Bella woke up with the worst headache in the world. Her eyes fluttered open expecting to be in her comfy bed but was instead greeted by a white ceiling and the smell of sanitizer. She jerked up and finds that there was a few tubes injected into her. She forces her head to turn away knowing now was not the time to faint. Why was she in a hospital? A nurse then walked into the room.

"Oh, you're awake." The nurse smiled. "How are you? Any discomfort, shortness of breath…?"

"I have a headache." She went to touch the back of her head but felt stitches. Bella's eyes widened as she remembered the panic attack that seized her body. She should have just stayed in bed. What was she thinking? She had no control over her body. Bella thought that she was going to die. "Who brought me in?"

"Your father and Carol had found you on the bottom of the stairs. They drove you here." Bella wondered why Carol was at her house. _How odd_ , Bella thought. She remember none of this. She adjusted herself in the seat. She wasn't physically uncomfortable but mentally. All she could remember was getting out of her bed due to an anxiety attack and falling down some stairs. What happened before and in-between that? Her mind was drawing a blank. What really happened that night?

"How long have I been in here for?"

"You arrived here late last night. It is now noon. The doctors didn't expect you to wake up until later tonight but I'll go tell your visitors that they can finally come in so they can stop bugging the other nurses." She didn't know who the other visitors could be besides her father.

The nurse walked out of the room after checking her vitals. She seemed fine and wasn't at a high risk of another panic attack but the nurse said she may stay overnight to make sure nothing happened. She did not want to stay overnight. She would hate if she was stuck here for the whole weekend. At least next week was Thanksgiving break. Good thing she had done her homework but she expected something to come up to be supernatural not her falling down some stairs.

Her father was the first one to come in. Rebekah walked in after her father. Bella didn't hide the surprise on her face. How did Rebekah know she was in the hospital?

"Your friend called your phone this morning. I answered and told them what happened." Charlie explained. _Them_?

"How are you doing?" Rebekah asked.

"I'm alright. The stitches are a bit itchy. This isn't the worst injury I've had, I can assure you."

"Really?" Rebekah looked even more concerned. The door opened and Kol walked in with a teddy bear.

"Did Rebekah make you carry that?" Bella asked as she took the teddy bear from his hands. She held the soft bear tightly.

"He's the one that bought it." Rebekah scoffed.

"Thank you." Bella smiled. "Dad, where's Carol?"

"She is at home but she said to call her if you woke up. Caroline came to visit you earlier." Bella was surprised. Caroline had visited? Maybe she was wrong about the blonde… "I will go call her but I can stay if you want."

"No, you can go tell her I am very much alive and fine." Charlie ruffled her hair.

"I'm just glad you're okay, kiddo." She hugged her father tightly.

"Don't worry. I always have a knack for making it out alright." Bella let go. Charlie walked outside to call Carol. Bella met eyes with Rebekah and saw something that unnerved her. Rebekah seemed to hide her emotions well but let her walls down momentarily. Bella saw envy in the girl's eyes. Why did Rebekah feel envious of her? What could she possibly have that Rebekah didn't? Bella blinked. Rebekah's expression was back to being unreadable. Maybe she was just seeing things?

 **-X-**

Katherine was currently wandering the halls of the hospital and had been patiently waiting for Bella to wake up. She needed to talk to Bella. Katherine was walking toward Bella's room until she saw someone she never thought she'd see again. Anna Zhu. Anna was standing beside Jeremy. How was this possible unless she was a ghost too? It was plausible seeing as she was also one. Katherine stood there frozen unsure if she should leave.

"Where are the others?" Anna asked.

"Caroline was here earlier. I couldn't convince Elena to come and Bonnie was too busy." Jeremy could see Anna?

"Anna?" Katherine whispered. Anna turned around. Both girls staring back at each other. Jeremy looked between the two startled.

"Katherine?" Jeremy asked. He could see her? Katherine's eyes widen.

"You can see me?"

"Yes." Jeremy nodded. "Are you a ghost like Anna?"

"It would appear so." Katherine said. "Why are you here? You don't know Bella."

"I came to see if she was alright and besides… I can't trust my sister to do something crazy while Bella is helpless."

"Why would you care about Bella?" Anna almost flinched at how protective Katherine sounded. What was it about that girl that sparked that reaction out of Katherine?

"We should talk privately. They may not be able to see us but they can see Jeremy." Katherine then walked away.

"Do we dare follow after her?" Jeremy asked Anna. Anna did not know what to do. Katherine had betrayed her but she had been more motherly to Anna than her own mother had been. A part of her trusted Katherine but another was seething at seeing her again. She was also curious about Katherine. She was not the same as before. Her aura and demeanor seemed to have slightly shifted.

"She's different." Anna spoke. "I wonder if that girl had anything to do with it…" Anna took off after Katherine with Jeremy following behind her.

 **-X-**

Bella woke up from her nap feeling groggy. It must be all the drugs they put her on. The room was hot which was unusual for a hospital room. She rolled her sleeves up and rested her palms facing up. She then spotted someone sitting on the chair beside her.

"You don't have to pretend to be asleep." Bella said. Klaus opened his eyes.

"What makes you think I was pretending?"

"What time is it?" She asked, dodging the question.

"It's one in the morning." She couldn't believe she had slept for that long.

"One? I didn't think I slept that much." Bella sighed. She hoped she would be out by tomorrow morning. "Too bad you couldn't save me from falling this time."

"Do you always trip on everything?"

"Usually, yes. That was by far not my worst accident." Bella counted on her fingers. "I was almost hit by a car in my school's parking lot. I fell down stairs but that time I broke a leg. Then there was this time my ex-boyfriend left me in the woods."

"Your ex-boyfriend left you in the woods?"

"Yes, he broke up me in the woods and left. I didn't know how to get out and it was getting dark fast. Washington is cold at night. I didn't have proper attire to survive the cold. I fell on a tree root which twisted my ankle. I couldn't do much so I fell asleep. When I woke up I had a twisted ankle and was told I could have died from hypothermia." She said nonchalantly. Bella wouldn't normal tell anyone this especially Klaus but the drugs seemed to have loosen her tongue.

"Rebekah didn't mention that."

"I usually don't talk about it. Besides, Rebekah was already concerned so I didn't want her to be more worried about me."

"What happened to you ex-boyfriend?"

"He left with his family. They were gone before the police could contact them. My father wanted to charge Edward and the whole Cullen family but I dropped the charges."

"Why?" _He's a cold one so I can't exactly arrest him_ , Bella thought.

"I wanted that part of my life over with besides we did not know where they went."

"You are quite the—"

"Survivor?"

"Yes, _survivor_." He said the word with distaste.

"Bella, you're awake!" Rebekah came in with two coffees. She handed one of them to Klaus. "How are you feeling?"

"I want to leave but I doubt they will let me. This hospital is nice so it would be hard sneaking out of it."

"Have you actually tried to sneak out of a hospital before?"

"I haven't tried to. I have." Bella smirked. "My childhood was filled with new ways to sneak out of the hospital." Rebekah shook her head.

"Are you hungry? I made Kol grab some food with Elijah." Elijah? The sibling Bella had yet to meet.

"What kind of food?"

"Some burgers and fries."

"Thank you." Bella hated the hospital food. "Have you read any of the decoration books yet?"

"Yes, one of them had really good tips…"

 **-X-**

After Kol had entered the room bringing food, Klaus had gone to the car to find Elijah. Elijah had been just leaving the car when Klaus had spotted his brother.

"I have something to tell you, brother. It is about Rebekah and Kol's new human friend. The girl has a Cold One's bite mark on her wrist."

"A Cold One? She should be one if she has the mark."

"She should but she is still human."

"That's odd." Elijah knew of no records of anyone staying human after a bite. It was either change into one of those beasts or die. How could she have remained human?

"She was also socializing with the Cullen family." Carlisle… Elijah wondered if the doctor had anything to do with the girl keeping her human status. Carlisle was a sharp man and knew almost as much about Cold One's as the Volturi did. Maybe he had found a loophole. Elijah pondered as to how the girl had gotten bitten seeing as the Cullen family were vegetarian vampires and all of them seemed adamant about not changing humans. A strange predicament indeed.

"Carlisle, I have not seen him in some time. So about Miss Bella, are we sure she knows about the supernatural world?"

"I think she does. She always has this suspicious look when she sees me." Elijah could see Klaus' paranoia. Paranoia and his brother were never a good mix. Klaus was not one to handle that type of emotion well and he often made drastic decisions. Fear and paranoia seemed to be the only reason why Klaus went to such extremes. He would have to keep an eye on Bella. It would not end well for the human girl if Klaus let his paranoia rule him.

"I think any smart girl would be suspicious of you, Klaus. I think it will be best if Rebekah or Kol asked her. Even though they haven't known each either long, they have a better chance at receiving an answer than us."

"Don't you think it is odd how attached they have grown to Bella?"

"I don't think it's for the sinister reason you are currently conceiving. Rebekah and Kol have been at the school for about two weeks now. Elena and her group have made it clear that they are not welcomed and the school merely followed suit. Bella was the only one kind to them. I know Kol did not particularly care but I know Rebekah was more effected by the fact that high school was not what she dreamed it to be."

"What about the mark?"

"I do not know how she survived but I may ask Carlisle myself."

"That may not be the best decision."

"You seem to know more than you are letting on. Why don't you tell me what Miss Bella said?"

"She mentioned dating Edward but he left her in the woods."

"Left her in the woods?"

"He broke up with her in the woods and she almost died from the hypothermia. They were going to arrest Edward but she dropped the charges. She said she did it because she wanted that part of her life over but she seemed to be hiding something else."

"What happened then? I highly doubt her father would have listened to her wishes when her life was at a risk due to Edward."

"They left and no one knew where they went."

"How… _odd_." Elijah sighed. "I will see what I can do. I will have to pay Aro a call." That was where the discussion ended and both brothers went to join their siblings.

 **-X-**

Bella was able to walk out of the hospital that morning but not without a lecture made by the doctor Meredith. Bella had shrugged off most of what the lady had said. She wanted to leave. Her father had picked her up and grabbed her breakfast beforehand. As soon as they got home, Bella was shoving Waffle House's food into her mouth. She was ravenous and refused to eat the hospital food.

"Thanks, Charlie." Bella said between bites.

"You're welcome, Bells. You sure you feel alright?"

"Yes, I feel just fine. I am hungry though." Charlie chuckled. "They should at least make the food there edible. I wouldn't even touch that with a yard stick."

"I have a shift—"

"Go." Bella said. "I will be fine. I won't even go upstairs until you get back."

"I just want you to be safe. I don't exactly have a Life Alert at hand and I think it would be funny that I was buying it for a teenager."

"I will keep my phone with me at all times. I will stay on the couch and watch TV."

"Alright, Bells. I'm going but be safe. There may be a storm later so I want you to call me if the power goes out." Bella nodded.

-X-

Charlie had left an hour ago. The storm had only been brewing when he had left but now it was a full blown thunderstorm. The lightning danced across the blackened sky with thunder booming in the background. The downpour was pelting the roof and ground. The winds harshly rattled the trees and some showed signs of giving up. There was no way the town would go unscathed. The storm was relentless and ruthless.

Bella knew she could not go to sleep. The storm was even louder than her TV. She turned off the TV and put the remote on the table. Even if by some miracle she could fall asleep, the challenge would be staying asleep. She grabbed a bowl of grapes and sat back down on the couch. She wrapped her blanket around her. There she was sitting in the dark living room. The only light was the flashes of lightning. The dark clouds gave the illusion that it was night.

She hadn't had time to just think. She wondered what had lead up to this. Was it moving to Forks that caused her all this suffering or did she really have a magnet field of danger? Why could she not live a normal human life? She didn't know what to choose. She should be in an insane asylum by now yet she was here. Was it her determination? Her need to survive that had powered her through this? Even though her survival mechanism seemed to be broken at times. Survival…

"Katherine!" She didn't know where Katherine could possibly be. She hadn't seen her at all. Did something happen to her or did Katherine just assume she was dead? The night of her fall was still blurry but she now remembered Katherine being there. She needed to find Katherine to find out what really happened. Bella was brought out of her thoughts when she heard something hitting one of the back windows. She stood up. She carefully tip toed to the back windows. She peeked through the window right by the back door. Nothing was there. She looked around but spotted nothing until she looked down. A kitten stood up and Bella could see the cat was clearly drenched. The kitten licked its fur of whatever gunk it had gotten on it.

Bella knew her father was not a fan of animals. Cats in particular but she couldn't leave the kitten by itself. Bella grabbed an old towel from the bathroom. She slowly opened the door so the cat wouldn't just run off. The kitten surprised her by immediately running towards the door. Maybe it was previously a house cat? She held the towel and the kitten jumped into it. She wrapped the towel securely around the kitten. She closed the door with her foot before speed waking to the bathroom.

After turning on the bathroom light, Bella turned on the bath. She kept her finger under the stream until it was lukewarm. She unwrapped the cat and picked her up before setting her in the bathtub. She let the water run until it covered the lower half of the cat. The smell had hit her. The cat had gasoline on it. Bella didn't even want to think why.

She scrubbed the cat thoroughly with soap. All gasoline on the fur was down the drain after the third washing. The cat did not show any signs of distress or panic. The kitten had let her wash her with no complaints. It was odd for a cat. Bella took the wet kitten out of the warm tub and dried the cat with a fresh new towel.

"There you go." Bella examined the cat for injuries but she seemed perfectly fine. "You're a Siberian cat." The multi-grey kitten was the exact image of the Siberian purebred. Bella could only tell now because the fur wasn't coated in gasoline. The fluffy kitten meowed again. This time she began walking away.

"Wait." Bella quickly washed her hands before following after the light grey Siberian. The cat was sitting on the table. "Oh, you're hungry." Bella had gotten a bowel and put water in it. The kitten happily lapped the water.

"What human food can a cat eat?" Bella thought back to her old neighbor, Valerie. She was an animal vet that lived next door to Renee. She had fostered a few cats and one of them had been an adult version of the grey Siberian. "Meat, eggs, veggies…" Bella had grabbed a few eggs and threw them on a pan. She grabbed a second bowel and put it on the counter. She searched the cupboards for other food the kitten could eat. She was able to scavenge and found tuna. She threw the tuna in and then attended to the eggs. She chose scrambled eggs to cook knowing that was the safest choice or at least what she remembered from Valerie's talks. She put the eggs in the second bowl before setting them on the table.

"Here you go." The kitten meowed in thanks which made Bella giggle. The kitty then began devouring its food. It made Bella wonder how long it has gone without food. When the cat had finished off its food, Bella cleared the table. She was still wondering how she was going to tell Charlie about the cat. She just hoped it didn't have an accident on her living room floor. Bella sat on the couch. The kitten had crawled onto her lap.

"Hi," Bella said. She brushed her fingers through the soft fur. The fur ball purred. "I should really name you." She knew it would be a tough sell for her father but she loved the kitten. She had wanted a kitten as a child which was why she hung over at Valerie's house so much. She wanted a cat of her own but her mother said she was allergic.

"I can take you to a vet in the morning then I will know what gender you really are." The kitten replied with a whine but made herself comfortable on Bella's lap. She fell asleep soundly and soon enough so did Bella.

 **-X-**

Her Monday morning had been jam packed. Thankfully last night, Charlie had approved of the cat as long as it didn't have accidents on the floor. He didn't seem to mind all that much but Bella knew Charlie was more of a dog person. The kitten had slept soundly through the night.

She had dropped the kitten off at the vet with no cage but the kitten was very calm. She had searched through a local pet store and had gotten everything the vet had suggested. She didn't even glance at the total when she was rung up but gave them her (Katherine's) credit card.

When she had arrived at the vet, the veterinary that had taken care of her kitten had given her back the cat. It had gotten its shots but was already fixed. Another surprise was that her kitten was in fact male.

"Could have fooled me." Bella patted the kitten's head. All night she had come up with girl names and had assumed the cat was a she. It was such a pretty cat so Bella thought it was a female.

"Did you come up with only girl names?" The veterinary, Silvia, asked.

"Mostly." Bella said. "There was only one guy cat named I liked anyway, Salem."

"That's a lovely name."

"Thanks for giving us an appointment such short notice."

"It's fine. Besides there aren't that many pet owners here sadly." Silvia sighed. "This one is mighty pretty. It was very nice of you to take it in."

"I didn't want to put it back outside. I am just glad my father was fine with it."

"My father hated cats until I brought old Tiger home. After college, that cat belonged to my father. It would even take naps with him on the couch. It was adorable but I had to get me another cat. I currently have two. Jasmine is my long black haired kitten and Ginny is an orange main coon. They used to be outdoor cats though Jasmine may have been an indoor cat previously like your Salem."

"You really think he used to be an indoor cat?"

"Maybe for the first few weeks. He is a little skinny but I'm sure he will get back to a healthy weight in no time as long as you feed him properly. Though I'm not sure how it got gasoline on its self but the cat did not appear harmed or any skittishness." The woman then peered over her shoulder. "You may want to get back home. A storm seems to be brewing. We've had a lot of them lately and this one seems like it'll be a nasty one."

"Thank you again." Bella put Salem in his new cat carrier which he highly disapproved of. He meowed and whined in the passenger seat the whole way home.

 **-X-**

When she had gotten home, she let Salem out of his cage. He jumped out and headed upstairs. She retrieved her bags and put everything up. She had just stuck Salem's cage in their storage closet when she heard a hiss from upstairs. She sauntered up the stairs and saw Salem standing right out her door hissing at Katherine. _I guess cats really are magical_ , Bella thought.

"Katherine," Bella said, surprised. She hadn't expected Katherine to show up in the blue. Katherine glared at the cat and the cat glared back. Bella picked up her kitten and tried to calm Salem down by petting him.

"Why is that cat here?"

"I adopted him."

"You adopted a cat? When did this happen?"

"The night I arrived back home. He was out back and I took him in. We just got back from the vet." Bella explained. "I guess cats' really can see things normal people can't."

"We need to talk."

"I figured." Bella let Salem go and the cat went back down the stairs. "What happened Friday night? I don't remember."

"You don't remember?" This was news to Katherine. Katherine did wonder how hard Bella had actually hit her head not to remember.

"All I have been told was that I had a panic attack and fell down the stairs. Carol and my father retrieved me and took me to the hospital. You were there but everything else is a blank."

"So naturally you think I did something." She said, stiffly.

"I am not accusing you of anything, Katherine. I just want to know what happened." Bella wouldn't let Katherine guilt trip her. She trusted Katherine which was why she was asking her. She didn't assume she was the reason why Bella woke up in a hospital.

"You had woken up from a nightmare and I tried to calm you down but you only freaked out more. You ended up walking down stairs."

"So I could get my medication…" Bella wanted to face palm. "I should have just rode out the panic attack instead of going down those stairs. What did I dream about that caused me to have a panic attack in the first place?"

"I don't know. You never said what it was about."

"Thank you." Bella paused. "I am afraid to ask but what did you need to talk about?"

"You got two unexpected visitors while you were in the hospital. I would have talked to you sooner but I had to deal with them. Jeremy Gilbert and Anna were about to go to you before I intervened."

"Isn't Anna dead unless…" Bella looked into Katherine's eyes to confirm her answer. "She's a ghost too."

"That isn't all. Jeremy could see both of us. Apparently Anna has been tagging along with Jeremy for a while. I ended up talking to them. The talk went better than expected. It would seem both of them are anti-Elena which is good so we won't have to worry about them ratting us out or at least for now." Katherine explained. "The rest of the conversation is pointless to go over but there is one thing I want to talk to you about. Jeremy can see Anna because of his resurrection ring. Since he has died so many times, they both think that is the reason why he can see Anna. It is the ring's consequences for being brought back so many times."

"Then why do I see you?"

"I still don't know. You don't have a ring that has brought you back to life and we had no prior connection for there to be a reason I ended up with you. One of the only things I can come up with is maybe you are a witch but then again Bonnie couldn't even sense me. I think it may have to do with your near death experiences but you have never been resurrected before or at least to our knowledge. The only other thing I could come up with was that maybe somehow we are related."

"Do you really think I am a witch or related to you? I don't think it has to do with my near death experiences because I have never seen a ghost before moving here." Bella couldn't imagine being a witch or a descendant of the Petrova line. Both seemed too out there.

"It's plausible. I do not know the entirety of my family line and hypothetical other descendants. It is also possible that you are a descendant of witches. We won't know until we start researching your bloodline."

"I will call my mother for her family line. She could always ship it to me. As for my father, I think it is in the storage room." Bella at least thought it was there. "What exactly did you tell Jeremy and Anna know about me?"

"I told them minimal details. Even though we are on the same page, I tend to keep an arm's distance just in case. Besides Jeremy is still affiliated with Elena and the rest of the gang. If a time does call for it, I do not doubt that compulsion would be used on him. It has been used on him before."

"Did you tell them about your theories about me?"

"No, it is best we keep this to ourselves. If you do end up a witch or from my line, that knowledge could get into the wrong hands. We must be careful. They only suspect we look similar as well as the gang. No one has drawn such a conclusion. I would also suggest you staying out of Elena's sight. We don't want any unnecessary light on you, Jeremy even warned me to tell you that it is best if you go nowhere near her. He said his sister has been acting strange as of late and she has been dating Damon."

"I'll do my best." Bella said. It scarred her to death. The unknown of what was to come. She wasn't sure if she wanted to unbury the truth. What if she found something she didn't want to know? "Let's get to it."

 **A/N**

 **There seemed to be a split between Klaus and Kol so I ended up pairing both of them with Bella. If you want to suggest a pairing or a plot idea, comment below. I will try my best!**


	3. The calm before the Storm

**Summary: Bella Swan leaves Forks in the rearview mirror. Her new life at Mystic Falls is not all it was cracked out to be. All she wanted was a normal last year but her wish is shattered on the floor when she is toe to toe with a ghost that is none other than Katherine Petrova.**

 **Alternative Universe/ Alternative timeline**

 **Crossover: Twilight and Vampire Diaries**

 **Rated: M**

 ****Update****

 **Pairing(s): Klaus/Bella/Kol (Go to Author's Note), Eric/Angela, Elijah/Katherine**

 **Warning: Sexual content and language**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire diaries or Twilight.**

 **Third POV**

 **(Forks)**

Angela was finishing her homework with her boyfriend Eric in her living room. Her parents wouldn't be home until late so she could talk to Eric about the supernatural. Her parents were witches as well but they refused to use their magic. Her grandmother was the one who taught her. Thankfully, her parents did not force her to not use magic but they still did not like talking about it.

Angela needed to tell her boyfriend about this feeling she kept having. These dreams or possible premonitions. She had felt uneasy especially after hearing news about Bella's accident. She wanted to go to Mystic Falls and see Bella but Charlie had said it was a minor injury. Bella had been released a few days ago from the hospital and Angela had yet to hear from her personally. If Charlie had not called Jacob's father, they would all be oblivious to Bella's accident. This worried Angela. Bella already had the habit of keeping it all to herself. It was hard to pry the truth out of Bella.

"I wish she would just call." Angela couldn't remember the last time she heard Bella's voice. The texts were scarce and for the last week it was nonexistent. She wanted to know that her friend was okay.

"She is probably busy." Eric assured.

"I just feel like something is happening to her but she won't tell us what. I just can't shake this feeling of her being in danger." Angela explained. "It's not Victoria. It's something I can't put my finger on. I keep having these dreams as well…"

"What dreams and how long have you been having them?" Angela bit her lip. She had been having this bizarre dreams about Bella ever since she left. She kept quiet about it because she thought it was nothing. She thought they were just dreams.

"Ever since she left. I don't remember most of them when I wake up but I was still left with the feeling of being unsettled. There are two that stand out the most. The dream happened over a week ago. Bella was talking to someone—a girl. She seemed happy and was laughing with the girl. I don't know who she was talking about and I only saw the back of the girl's head. I know Bella said her name but now when I try to think what name she had said, it comes up blank. The other dream I had last night. It was odd."

"You can tell me Angela."

"Bella was running in a forest during the day. She was a—" She shivered. " _A vampire._ Eric, she was a vampire but she wasn't sparkling in the sun. I think maybe there are more supernatural beings than we had originally thought."

"Like another type of vampire?"

"Possibly. I will have to ask my grandmother."

"Was that all of the dream?"

"Yes, at least from what I remember. I just don't know what to do. Bella always wanted to be a vampire as much as the rest of us detest to it. I never understood why she wanted to be a bloodthirsty beast but then again, I don't know why anyone would want to be one. Maybe she sees something about being immortal than the rest of us do. In the dream, I wonder who changed Bella. It just can't be a dream anymore. It has to be a vision or premonition of some sort."

"We will figure this out. We will talk to your grandmother tomorrow and we can always visit Bella." Angela nodded.

"I've just been worried especially after what Jasper said." Angela then decided to drop the conversation. "So, have you picked out any colleges you're going to?"

 **-X-**

 **(Mystic Falls)**

Bella woke up to a loud alarm. She muffled her phone's alarm with her pillow. She did not want to wake up and go to school. She had spent her week reading up on her dad's family tree to no avail and her mother had misplaced her ancestry book. Tracking her bloodline was harder than she originally thought. The only other option was to take a blood test done by a witch. The only witch near here was Bonnie. Bella would ask Angela but she didn't want Angela to get suspicious. She was back to square one.

"Time to get up." Katherine said. "School is in an hour."

"I didn't realize you were my alarm too." She said dryly. "Do you have a snooze button too?"

"Only after a few drinks."

"Eww… That's so gross." Bella threw her pillow at Katherine but it only went through her.

"How rude."

"I'm getting up." Bella sat up on her bed and took a moment before getting off her warm, comfy bed. She just wanted to slide back in but knew she had to go back to school. Rebekah would hunt her down otherwise. She also needed to specify when the Christmas party meeting was with Caroline and avoid Elena's watchful eye. She didn't need them getting suspicious of her. All in all, it was going to be a busy day.

 **-X-**

Bella arrived at school on time but she couldn't shake this eerie feeling. Her feelings are confirmed when kids are standing outside the school. She grabbed her backpack before proceeding out of the car. Bella sauntered over to Rebekah. _What's going on here? Maybe Rebekah knows._

"What's going on?"

"No idea." Rebekah muttered. Kol walked toward them. "Do they know?"

"No, the students were ordered outside. The teachers are barricading us from entering." Kol answered. "The teachers won't tell us why we can't enter though."

"I wonder what happened." Suddenly a loud blaring siren pierced their ears. The sound was quickly approaching. The students made a pathway when they saw the police cars and ambulance truck rushing into the parking lot. The police and ambulance park in front of the school and entered the building. The remaining police then instructed all the students to go home. No one protested. They were afraid what they would see if they did stay.

"Do you want to hang out at my house?" Rebekah asked. Bella looked over to the remaining police. One of them being her father.

"Yeah, I'll follow your car. I just need to talk to my dad first." Bella ran over to her father. "Dad!" Her father turned around and had a sudden look of relief.

"What's going on?"

"We are still figuring out that ourselves." Carol answered. "We will have all the facts later. Everyone should be informed later today or tomorrow."

"Thanks." Bella nodded curtly. "For saving me the other night."

"No problem."

"Bells, I think you shouldn't stay alone until I get back home." Charlie said.

"That's what I came over here to tell you. My friends, Rebekah and Kol, want to go hang out. We will be careful." She pointed to Rebekah and Kol. The siblings waved their way.

"If you see anyone suspicious, you know who to call." Charlie briefly hugged his daughter before releasing her. She went to her car and drove off. Charlie was relieved that Bella was not involved and was safe.

"She's a good kid." Carol spoke. "Her choice in friends are questionable."

"Rebekah and Kol?"

"They're not exactly good news. The whole Mikaelson family is bad news actually." Charlie was about to ask her what she meant but an officer approached them.

"Follow me."

 **-X-**

Bella strolled into the Mikaelson house with Rebekah and Kol beside her. The house was ridiculously expensive and reminded her of the Cullen's home. She couldn't imagine living in a house that she was afraid of touching because it might break. The front of the house looked like a ballroom and she was stunned by the grand staircase. _Rich people always do like to flaunt how rich they are_ , Bella thought dryly. But nonetheless, the house was indeed beautiful.

"Miss Bella," Elijah's voice traveled down the hall. Bella looked to see Elijah heading towards them. Bella had only a limited experience with Elijah and that was in the hospital. He seemed kind but she had no doubt that he could rip anyone's heart out if they posed a threat to him or his family. "Why aren't you three in school?"

"Something happened. Police and ambulance were there." Kol answered.

"Did someone die?"

"Don't know." Kol continued, "We decided to come here. Bella's father did not want her alone so she came with us."

"I see." Elijah didn't seem too pleased by an unexpected guest.

"I don't mean to impose." Bella said.

"You aren't imposing. It's just Klaus has not been in the best mood today. Our brother has gone off to the bar but I do not know how long he'll be gone." Bella thanked her lucky stars that he wasn't here. He was weary of her and knew something was up due to their last encounter.

"We will leave when he arrives." Rebekah said. "Until then—" She grabbed Bella's arm and dragged her up the stairs. Kol followed after the two. They entered Rebekah's room that was beautifully deigned. Rebekah's room fit her personality perfectly; it was girly, extravagant, and most definitely expensive. Even if she was rich, Bella wouldn't spend it all on a house.

"Do you think we should stay?" Bella really didn't want to run into Klaus. She said things she shouldn't have said to him in the hospital. The drugs that were given to her were partially at fault but still, she shouldn't have opened her mouth. What she said to him was so personal and raw that she couldn't have been in the right mindset to say it so nonchalant.

"Nik is almost always in a foul mood. If he went to get a drink, then he should be better when he gets back. He may even keep busy if he brings a toy home."

"A toy? You mean a girl?" Bella loathed the word.

"Yep."

"That's a shitty way to speak about a human being."

"Fine, Klaus is bringing a _girl_ home. Better?"

"Are you always this bitchy?" Bella said on impulse. She regretted her words immediately. Rebekah had a gleam in her eyes.

"It's called being aggressively sassy." She replied. "Kol, go get us water."

"And why dear sister? Can't you do it or you can call Matt?" Kol took a pink cell phone out of his pocket and waved it. Bella could only assume it was Rebekah's phone.

"You-!" Rebekah goes to grab it but Kol puts a hand on her head and keeps her back. "Give me back my phone you bloody prick!"

"What would dear Klaus think of your little love affair? You always did fraternizing with the enemy."

"Nik can go fuck himself! He is off drawing portraits of Caroline so he shouldn't be talking about fraternizing with the enemy." Bella couldn't contain it any longer. She laughed.

"The enemy? You two are pretty ridiculous." Bella snatched the phone out of Kol's hand and handed it to Rebekah.

"Thank you, Bella." Kol pouted.

"Go pout to someone that cares." Rebekah sneered.

"What do you guys think really happened at the school?" Bella couldn't wait until her father came home. She really wanted to know what happened. Curiosity was a weakness of hers.

"Don't know. Maybe someone committed suicide." Kol shrugged.

"In a school?" Bella questioned.

"We will know soon so I wouldn't worry too much about it."

"Hey, Rebekah," Bella called out to her. Rebekah looked up from her phone. "We can go see a movie since your brother's arrival may be sooner than later."

"Are you really that scared of Nik? He did save you from falling in the library."

"He saved you from falling? How unlike him." Kol smirked. "Well, I know one thing that I will be bugging him with for when he comes home."

"Like a princess saved by a prince," Rebekah chuckled.

"If he's considered a prince, we have really lowered our standards of what a prince is." Bella retorted. "I'm going to go see the movie, with or without you guys."

"Fine, but at least let me change."

"Why did you wear an expensive outfit today anyway?"

"So I could show up that blonde bimbo at school." Rebekah whined. "I hate her so much and the brunette bitch as well! The greatest revenge will be people thanking us for the awesome Christmas party that no one will forget."

"Women," Kol groaned. "I will never understand."

"Me too, Kol." Bella chuckled.

 **-X-**

Katherine couldn't be a ghost forever. She needed to get back to her old body but she didn't know how. She did know she'd do anything to get it. Even if it meant she formed an alliance with _them_. Jeremy and Anna exchanged looks.

"So, do we have a deal or not?"

"Making deals with you usually ends up with someone getting screwed over." Jeremy said. "How do we know you won't do that?"

"My life is on the line and I am not risking being stuck in this ghost form."

"I trust her." Anna crossed her arms. "But if you screw me over, there will be hell to pay. You were kinder to me than my own mother but I won't let you deceive me."

"Thank you, Anna."

"What do you suggest we do?"

"I need Jeremy to contact Lucy Bennett."

"Why can't Bella do that?"

"I don't want her involved with this."

"But Jeremy is expendable?" Anna growled.

"Look, I don't want Bella involved with this because if we are caught, your sister will definitely want her head. She despises Bella."

"She's right. My sister has changed and I don't want Bella to die because of her." Jeremy nodded. "I'll contact Lucy."

"Thank you. Once she's here, we can find ways we can come back." Katherine wasn't sure if they were to be trusted but she was all out of options. All she could do now was hope.

 _ **And when you cling onto hope, despair quickly sets in.**_

 **-X-**

Charlie's boots squeaked as he walked down the bland hallway. Carol following behind him. The water dripping from their soaked clothes. Another storm seemed to be forming outside. Carol and Charlie patrolled the hallways from anyone coming in or out who wasn't supposed to. An officer came from the room that was partially blocked off due to the investigation. Charlie hadn't dared look at the room. There was no need to but he could guess what happened. Death had a certain stench.

"How bad is it?" Carol asked. The officer's face was deathly pale and his eyes looked like he had seen a scene of nightmares. Another officer came out of the room and beckoned the two to come in. Charlie forced himself to walk into the room but nothing prepared him for what he was about to bare witness to. Carol's gasp confirmed his suspicions. He opened his eyes and the scene in front of him must have been from a horror movie. It was nightmare fuel. Thirty teenagers were scattered around the room. Some were hanging on nooses and others had several knives in their bodies. Blood soaked the whole floor. A name was written in blood on the back of the wall.

 **Silas.**

 **Author's Note: I have been going back and forth about Bella's romance. Some people were in favor and some weren't. For now it will be a Klaus/Bella/Kol because that's the way the story is heading. Don't worry though! I'm making sure Kol has a much bigger role and Klaus is also seen more frequent. I'm definitely taking my time with writing their romance because that is something I don't want to rush.**


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